Assault and Battery
by OddCombo
Summary: To avoid jail time, Steven Wade was forced to travel across the states from New York to a small town in Michigan known as Royal Woods. Will he be able to adapt to this change? Find out as he lives with his aunt and her family. (Rated T for fighting and strong language)
1. 01 Settle In

**AUTHORS' NOTE**

 **Kyle: Okay, so this is probably the first story we wrote together in about… what, eight years?**

 **Lyle: Yeah, about 8.**

 **Kyle: We're pretty excited about this new territory we're getting into. We'll keep the chapters of this story at an average of 4k words, and go beyond that number should this story get more attention. Critiques and ideas are highly welcomed.**

 **Lyle: And now, without further delay, enjoy.**

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* * *

 _"Mrs. Wade… Your son can't be in this school anymore…"_

 _"Look, Steven is a good boy, he's just been going through al-"_

 _"He assaulted his mathematics teacher, Mrs. Wade. I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but Mr. Thomas is intending on pressing charges… Steven could go to juvenile over this."_

 _"He provoked him!"_

 _"And he placed him in the hospital, in need for plastic surgery! Mrs. Wade, Steven is a dangerous, troubled young man! I can't afford another teacher to suffer the same fate!"_

 _"Well then, you should make them stop rubbing on his bad side! Steven has been through enough, don't you think?!"_

 _"… Mrs. Wade… I understand that Steven is hurting, which is why I suggest you take him elsewhere…"_

 _"… What do you mean…?"_

 _"Steven is hurting, Mrs. Wade. This town is a constant reminder of the difficult times he's been through… Leaving this town will help his emotional state and mental scars to heal… I'm really sorry, Mrs. Wade, but either this, or get ready for court."_

Steven Wade is a seventeen year old boy. He has black hair with dark brown eyes; a typical teen in terms of appearance. Steven isn't a shy person at all. He is the complete opposite, in fact. His short temper and rebellious nature made him be noticed a dozen times, not in a good way. But the reason he is who he is, is because of the way he grew up… Steven was the son of a man who would get drunk every night, and return home to unload on his mother. He was forced to witness that terrible sight every night for five years, and his mother simply _took_ it.

She took it for _him_.

When he reached the age of ten, he finally understood why his mother never left, why she never pressed charges. She didn't want her only son to think she left him. And on a certain night, the father got drunk again. And he was unloading on his mother. But this time, he didn't see slapping her and cursing her would be enough this time… Young Steven has had enough of watching his mother suffer for his sake. When he tried to stop him from hurting her any longer, he was tossed aside like a ragdoll.

The dread sensation of being pushed away like that had sparked something inside Steven's heart… Something he's never felt before. The sight of his mother, lying on the ground, bloodied, bruised, _broken_.

The longer he stared at his harmed mother, the stronger this strange sensation became in his heart. To his surprise, it wasn't grief, it wasn't an urge to cry.

It was _anger_.

This man has hurt his mother for so long. He made her cry so many times… He harmed him too, now. Steven's breaths became unstable as his eyes shook, and his palms balled into fists as his teeth were grinding so hard, his gums would might as well bleed.

As Steven's tantrum continued to increase, his gaze had laid upon an object on the food table. An object his mother always warned about how dangerous it was to run while holding it.

A pair of _scissors_.

As the drunken parent stumbled back towards the injured mother to continue, he suddenly felt excruciating pain coming from his back, followed by a damp sensation over his shirt. He reached his hand to see what it was.

It was blood. _His_ blood.

The man's feet could no longer support his length as the red stain on the back of his shirt increased in size, until he eventually collapsed to the ground on his belly. The scissors Steven saw were stuffed in his back, where his heart is located. Steven still had the same expression on his face before he finally snapped out of his 'episode'. And the sight he saw was nothing less than horrifying to the young boy. His legs became weak, breathing became a more difficult task for him as his vision began to blur from tears taking form in his eyes. It struck him like lightning from the sky.

… He killed someone. He killed his _father_.

Poor Steven was in shock. The look of terror filled his eyes as he stared at the corpse of his father laying over a puddle of blood, tears rolling down his eyes as his heart was on overdrive. He crawled back, in a desperate attempt to escape the revolting sight he couldn't ignore. As his breathing became ragged and unstable, he took one look at his hands. It was then, when he realized this wasn't some sick nightmare as he hoped it was.

… His hands were covered in _his_ blood.

Before the dam could break, Steven felt a hand gently resting on his cheek, pulling him to the side as another arm wrapped around his shoulders. It was his mother. As Steven was having a panic attack, she'd crawled across to reach her terrified son. Wounded or not, there's no way she will lie down and watch while her only son was falling apart. "It's okay, baby," She cooed with the most gentle voice she could muster. "Mommy's got you…" She pulled him closer, having his cheek rest on her chest as her chin rested on top of his head.

Steven's ragged breaths began to somewhat slow down in the warm, loving embrace of his mother. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, releasing the stress as he cried into her chest. After five years of seeing his mother suffering abuse at the hands of that man, his dam finally cracked as he bawled into her, his bloody hand clenching against her clothing as she tried her best to calm her hurting son. "It's okay, baby… I'm right here…" She soothed, gently stroking her finger against his hair.

"I'm sorry!" He spoke out between choked sobs. "I'm sorry mom… I-I didn't m-mean to-"

"Shhh~" She shushed, planting a peck on top of his head. "It's okay… It's gonna be alright, sweetie~" She planted another peck on top of his head as her fingers slowly scrubbed his black hair.

A short while later, the police had arrived. After taking the corpse and testimonies of Steven and his mother, the police decided to consider Steven's act as self defense. Ever since that night, Steven had given himself a promise.

He will never let himself be pushed around ever again… He will never let _her_ get hurt again.

A few days after the incident, Steven decided to take a few lessons in self defense at a boxing gym near his house back then. He is now like a loaded pistol with the safety off and a finger on the trigger, patiently waiting for someone to _try_ and bring trouble his way.

* * *

Steven was sitting inside a coach, in a seat by the window, with a toddler on his right, snoozing against his body. Steven stared blankly at the passing scenery as his mind was busy letting it all sink in. In order to avoid the possibility of going to prison, his mother sent him to live with her sister's family. Steven's right palm was completely wrapped in bandages, safe to say from the beating he gave his teacher. He looked at it, thinking about what he did to the poor man… _Maybe I did went a little too far…_ He thought as he balled it into a fist. It hurt a bit, but not as much as it hurt _him_. The look on the teacher's face when he realized he made a mistake talking about how he let his mother down brought a small smirk into Steven's face.

Steven then turned his gaze to the toddler napping next to him, which brought a smile to his face. He released his fist and rested his palm on his head. The toddler slightly shifted in his seat. Steven looked back at the scenery. Nothing much to see but a lot of green grass. He let out a sigh and rested his head against his seat's headrest. Was he ready for this…? Was he ready to be somewhere other than New York? He had no idea.

A few hours had passed, and it started to get dark. The coach still hasn't reached its destination, but the driver said they're less than a hundred miles away, so it wasn't going to take long. The toddler was awake now, resting an Ipad on his lap, playing Lazors with one hand while holding an apple juice box he got from a fuel station in the other. "Lower the screen's brightness a bit, it's gonna hurt your eyes." Steven instructed, swiping his finger down on the screen and lowering the brightness for the toddler. The toddler returned to his game after Steven pulled his hand away. "Hey, bus driver!" He called out. "Are we there yet?"

"This is a coach, and no, we're not." The driver replied.

"Hurry up, then! I can't feel my toes anymore!" Steven replied, massaging one of his feet in an attempt to regain feeling of them. "I _hate_ travelling…" He groaned under his breath.

* * *

After two hours of excruciating pain of having his legs fall asleep, the coach Steven was in had finally reached its destination. Steven and the toddler sat down on the curb of the sidewalk with his shoes off, wiggling his toes to get the blood moving in them. "Ah, I thought I'd never feel my toes again~" He said with pleasure in his voice. The toddler gave Steven's big toe a poke. "What," He asked, nudging the toddler's head. "you never seen a camel toe before?" Steven asked with a smirk. After feeling comfortable enough, he wore his shoes back on.

"TEN PERCENT LUCK, TWENTY PERCENT SKILL, FIFTEEN PERCENT CONCENTRATED POWER OF WILL,"

Steven stood up and fetched his phone as it rang. He swiped his thumb to the right and placed it on his ear. "Speak."

 _'Hi, Steven, it's aunt Claire.'_

"Hey, aunt Claire. Good to hear from you." Steven replied with a smile on his face.

 _'Good to hear from you too, sweetie!'_ Came her reply. _'Have you arrived yet?'_

"Uh, yeah. We're at the bus station near… Ketcham Park. Yeah."

 _'Alright, sweetie, I'll be there in five minutes. I'll see you then.'_ She finished as Steven hung up.

Suddenly, Steven felt a gentle tug on his trousers. Looking down, he found the toddler pointing a finger at the bathrooms while rubbing his thighs together with a begging gaze. "Alright, let's go for a potty break, then."

* * *

After the quick potty break, Steven and the toddler were with a middle-aged woman with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes. She was driving a silver four-door sedan with Steven in the front passenger seat and the toddler in the back seat. Steven, once again, was watching the passing scenery quietly, which made it a bit awkward. Claire decided to break the silence by clearing her throat. "So… How was your trip?" She asked.

"It was boring, to be honest." Steven answered flatly. "Never really been a travel lover, y'know." He added with a shrug.

"You're just like your mother." Claire stated with a smile.

"Excuse me?"

"She hated travelling too. Now, she works as a flight host. Ironic, ain't it?" She asked, chuckling to herself.

"Well, who knew?" Steven asked, seeming to be surprised. "Then again, mom _was_ Acrophobic, so I guess it makes sense."

"Acrophobic doesn't even begin with describing your mom when she was a teen." Claire said. "When we shared the same bedroom on the second floor, she would count the steps on the stairs. Sometimes, she'd consider the second floor a step and sometimes don't." Claire stated, giggling to herself. "Not to mention the number of times she fainted when she looks out the window of our class on the second floor back in highschool."

"Aunt Claire…" Steven's voice came and interrupted her trip down memory lane. She looked in his direction and the smile was quickly wiped off her lips. The look in his eyes was enough for her to know that he wasn't laughing. "Acrophobia isn't something you laugh about. Mom used to have a serious issue with heights that she had managed to overcome in order to put food on the table, and I would like if you stop dancing over it." He spoke in a normal tone, but his eyes held some level of anger that was enough for Claire to realize he was warning her.

"Right. You're right, I'm sorry…" Claire said as she looked back at the road. Come to think of it, Steven was right. She remembered how some girls would make fun of her because of her fear of heights. "… I'm sorry, Stevie," She apologized, the sincerity evident in her voice. "I shouldn't have said that… Your mother has always been a kind person." She stated.

"Ain't that the truth…" Steven muttered, not even looking at her, but at the scenery outside.

Claire realized that she might've made a wrong move by talking about his mother's phobia. She needed to get back in his good graces again, which gave her an idea as she smiled. "You know, Stevie, it was your mom who introduced me to your uncle." She spoke. Steven turned his attention back to her as she smiled at him. Now she had his attention, that's a good first step. She needed to continue. "On our senior prom, When no one asked me to go with, your mother decided to share her prom date with me. At first, I thought she was feeling sorry for me, but then I realized that she knew I had feelings for him." She sighed softly. "We spent the whole night together, and even though she spent the prom alone, she said that matching a couple was worth it… She's the kindest person I know… Always putting others' needs before hers…"

Steven couldn't agree more. His mother gave so much for him and never stopped giving. A smile crept on Steven's lips as he leaned back in his chair. "… Royal Woods, huh?" He asked. "What's it like in here?"

"It's not as loud and crowded, so I'm sure you'll like it here, sweetie." Claire assured. "People here are very friendly and there's a lot to do." She added as Steven hummed in response. "If you want, I can make Carol show you around." She offered.

Steven slightly perked up at the mention of her name. _Of course!_ He thought. _I forgot about Carol!_ "I'd like a tour around the city." He muttered. _Crap,_ He thought. _I can't let her see my right hand!_ He shouted mentally as he rubbed his sore limb. This didn't go unnoticed by his aunt.

"Does it hurt? Want me to check it for you?" She asked. Steven hasn't answered as he continued to rub his injured hand. "Stevie? Hello? Earth to Steven." Still no response. "Steven!" That did the trick. Steven snapped out of his episode with a flinch. "Is there a problem, dear?" She asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Huh? N-no, it's just the bandage. It's making my palm itch." He replied, resting his palms on his thighs. "So, uh… Are we there yet?" He asked.

"We're already home, Stevie." She answered. It wasn't a lie. Her car was parked in the driveway, next to a black 2012 Hyundai Sonata.

Steven nodded, quietly undoing his seatbelt and opening his door. He then opened the door behind him, revealing the toddler already snoozing. Steven smiled, unbuckling his seatbelt before wrapping his arms around him and picking him up. Claire was by the trunk, trying to pull the heavy luggage out. "Ugh, it won't budge," She complained.

"It's okay, aunt Claire, I got it." Steven said, using his free hand to grab the heavy Trunk's handle.

"Oh, don't worry, Stevie, I'll have your uncle carry…" She trailed off as Steven pulled the bag out and walked towards the door with ease, even with the toddler sleeping on his left shoulder. "…it inside…" She finished, shock evident in her face. Where did he get that strength?

"Aunt Claire?" Steven called, gesturing at the door with his head, since his hands were busy. She quickly understood what he meant and walked over, unlocking the door and letting them in.

"Welcome to the Pingrey Household, Sweetie." Claire greeted as she led Steven into her house. It was a typical suburban two-story house, not too big, nor flashy. It looked like a _chill_ place to live in, Steven thought. _Maybe it's not so bad to come here, after all,_ he considered as he walked into the living room. It was spacious, with not much decoration that crowded the open space. A dark blue leather couch for three rested in front of a coffee table, facing a big flat-screen T.V. Upon said couch, was someone he should've expected to see in her own house. She was Carol Pringrey, who was busy texting on her phone, and next to her was a girl that looked like a Goth with _blonde hair_? His doubts were confirmed when he realized she was watching _Vampires of Melancholia_. "Girls, you remember your nephew, Steven, right?" Claire introduced, getting both of their attention.

The remained silent for a few moments. The blonde goth gave him a deadpan stare that he could recognize from goths, while the older blonde's lips began to take the shape of a wide smile. "Stevie!" She greeted, putting her phone on the coffee table in the process and made her way across the room, giving Steven a warm hug. "It's so good to see you!" She exclaimed with honest joy.

Steven lowered the heavy trunk to the ground and wrapped his right arm around her to return the hug. "It's to see you too." He replied with a smile.

Carol then released the hug, looking him up and down. "Oh my gosh, look at you!" She exclaimed. "You lose the glasses and swapped them with abs, eh~?" She asked with a half-lidded look and smirk. Indeed, his body built was noticeably muscular, but not _too muscular_ at that note. She also noticed that although his body figure changed since the last time they met, he was a few inches shorter than her.

"I guess you can say puberty hit me hard, heh." Steven replied with a sheepish chuckle, his cheeks tinged with pink from her compliment.

"Well, I think puberty did you justice," She released the short hug. "It's about time we have a good looking man in the family." She finished as Steven sheepishly scratched the back of his head as Claire giggled at a flustered Steven. He's not used to compliments, it seems.

"Hey!" A childish, male voice cut in. The three turned their sight to the source of the voice, only to see Carol's little brother, Conner, standing by the stairs, obviously offended by Carol's comment.

"Oh, right, Steven, this is my little, and annoying, little brother, Conner." Carol introduced, Steven nodding in acknowledgement. "Conner, this is our nephew, Steven."

"'Sup?" Steven greeted.

Conner remained silent, scanning the stranger in front of him before remembering the last time his mother took him and his sisters to her family gathering when he was 3 years old. Then, the memory struck him. "Didn't you used to wear glasses?" He asked.

"Used to, they're gone now." Steven answered with a smile.

"What happened to your hand?" Steven mentally kicked himself for not seeing this question coming.

Carol gasped as she took notice. "What happened to your hand?!" She asked, gently holding it to inspect it closely.

"O-oh, well… I, uh… I had a freak out playing Turbo Fighter X, and… Kinda punched through the wall… heheh." He lied, grinning sheepishly. _They don't need to know about it,_ He thought.

"Great, another Conner." The middle blonde finally spoke.

"Oh, she does speak," Steven commented. "I'm Ste-"

"I know." She interrupted flatly. "I'm Cassy," She introduced, standing up as her show ended. "I'm going up to my room. T.V.'s all yours." She walked past Conner and up the stairs. Steven girded his eyebrow at the cold demeanor. Then again, she is one of those gloomy teens, despite having blonde hair.

"She seems nice." Steven commented.

"She is," Carol added, before leaning closer and whispered. "She's a goth."

"I figured." He muttered, nodding in confirmation. "Anyways, um… Can you show me where can we sleep? _He's_ heavy for his size, you know." He said, gesturing to the sleeping toddler he's carrying.

"Oh, right. Come, I'll show you" Carol said, walking up the stairs with Steven carrying the toddler and the trunk behind her. She led him across the hallways to a bedroom used for guests. It obtained two beds with sky blue blankets to match the wall paint, two nightstands, and a dresser. It was a simple bedroom, basically. "You can sleep in here," Carol offered. She got curious, though; Who is that child? "Um, Stevie?" Started, capturing his attention. "Who is he?"

"Oh, right, I forgot." Stevie laid the toddler down on one of the beds, removing his shoes and leaving the socks to keep his feet warm. "He's Toby, my step brother." He introduced, running his hand over Toby's head, making him turn to his side as he slept peacefully.

"Oh? I didn't know you had a brother." Carol expressed in surprise.

"Well, a lot has changed in eleven years, Carol. Ever since… the _incident_ …. Mom decided to move on, so she met this guy who owns this trucking business. I didn't like him at first, but he turned to be a really nice guy, so I began to like him." He explained, barely smiling at the memories. "Toby's four years old now, but I grew attached to him a lot." He added, staring at his little brother.

Carol couldn't help but smile at the sight. She knew Steven has always been a kind, loving person. He just never showed it. Even when they were little, he'd always share his candy with her whenever they went to buy some. She wouldn't say it, but she _really_ missed having him around. She then decided to break the silence before it got awkward. "Anyway," She started. "Dinner is gonna be ready in thirty minutes. Why not take a shower and change? Dad will be home by then." She offered, turning on her heel and leaving the two brothers alone as Steven nodded quietly.

Steven had so much to be ready for, but he was scared to. He wasn't ready for this change. He didn't know anything, or anyone in this place. But what pained him the most was that he had to be away from his mother. It's not that he didn't want to leave her side, But how could he protect her if he wasn't even _there_ for her? Before he knew it, Steven's mind began to fill up with awful scenarios, like having her kidnapped, or get shot by thief trying to take her purse, or a car might hit her as she crosses the road, or someone breaking into their apartment an-

"Kids! Dinner is on the table!" Came his aunt's voice from the dining room and snapping him out of his episode.

Without even realizing, Steven had spent the last thirty minutes thinking about what could happen to his mother in his absence. He shook these thoughts off his head and stood up. _Moms' gonna be alright,_ He thought. He then opened his trunk and pulled out a grey pair of slacks, a black T-shirt, and some clean underwear and made his way towards the bathroom to clean up. Normally, he'd skip the shower, but new house, new rules he thought.

* * *

 **AUTHORS' NOTE**

 **Kyle: Okay, so this chapter is just the setup for what's about to come. The story will become more interesting from this point, we promise.**

 **Lyle: On a side note, we're still learning the usage of this website. So if you have any pointers on how to use it, that would be magnificent.**

 **Kyle: We'd figure out how to use it ourselves, but we're uh…**

 **Lyle: Too lazy to do it ourselves?**

 **Kyle: I was gonna say busy, dude.**

 **Lyle: That makes one of us, at least.**

 **Kyle: Anyways… Be sure to read and review this chapter!**


	2. 02 On Your Best Behavior

**AUTHORS' NOTE**

 **Kyle: Whew! Five thousand words in five days. That wasn't easy.**

 **Lyle: Welcome back, everyone, with the second chapter of Assault and Battery! In this chapter, we'll see how Steven acts on his first day at Royal Woods High.**

 **Kyle: And if the title doesn't blow it away, we're gonna see Steven barely managing to keep his anger in check during the day. Besure to read and review!**

* * *

To say dinner was awkward would be an understatement. Steven remained silent the whole occasion, avoiding eye contact and eating with his left hand, which caused a bit of a mess on the tablecloth. He was silently praying that spaghetti and meatballs won't leave stubborn stains on it. _This sucks,_ He thought to himself. _C'mon, Steve-O, break the ice. Say something normal._ He guided, swallowing down what he chewed. He then opened his mouth. _Say something normal,_ "Uhhh… So, what's happenin'?" _Great job_ , He smirked internally.

"Well, I don't know where kids hang at these days, so why not make Carol show you around the city?" Claire offered.

"I don't mind." Carol said. "I got nothing else to do after school."

"School, huh?" Steven muttered.

"Oh, right!" matriarch snapped her fingers. "Your mother called while you were upstairs, sweetie. She said she had your school file sorted out. All you need to do is pay a visit to the principal's office tomorrow." She explained.

"I'll do that." Steven replied monotonously.

"So, tell me," The patriarch spoke. "How's life in New York?" He asked.

"Well… it's nothing like in the postcards, for starters. There's a lot of thugs and criminals roaming the streets." Steven started. "You say 'Hi' and they just glare at you and say _Keep walkin'_." He exampled. "People are always on a rush during the day, and it gets really silent and empty the during night. It takes a lot to survive in that environment."

"Then, how did you survive?" Conner asked.

Steven turned his head to meet Conner's gaze. "It's simple," He started, showing his injured hand at the preteen. "It's a sink or swim kind of logic. You can say I learned to _swim_." He explained with a smirk.

"Personally, I never see what good comes from fighting." Carol said, taking a forkful of her spaghetti.

"I agree," The matriarch added.

"Well, sometimes, fightin' is the only option you have. Don't worry, aunt Claire," Steven assured. "I don't pick bones with people… Unless they wanna pick a bone with me, of course." He muttered the last bit.

"I tend to agree with Steven, honey." The patriarch stated. "Sometimes, we have to be aggressive. Not literally, of course. Like Carol on sales at the mall." He quipped as Conner stifled his laughs, even Cassandra giving a dry 'Hah hah' with a hint of a smirk, much to Carol's embarrassment.

"Mall sales are worth fighting for, Caleb. It always is." Claire defended.

Steven watched silently with a small smile on his face as they argued. This is what a _real_ family looks like. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous, yet it made him feel warm in his heart. It didn't last long as he saw a silhouette of someone walking down the stairs by the dining room's entrance. Only one person is still up there, and as he predicted, it was little Toby, who was still rubbing the dead skin off his eyes.

"Hey, buddy." Steven greeted, putting the argument to an end as they all looked at Toby. "How was your nap?"

The sudden attention Toby received made him quite uncomfortable. They were all strangers (apart from Steven), he woke up in a strange place, and most importantly, there was a blonde girl with a deadpan face looking at him. Toby gave a timid nod to his older stepbrother as an answer as he held his hands together behind his back. He then quickly shuffled towards Steven, hiding behind his big brother from the eyes looking at him.

"Aww, he's so cute!" Carol cooed, making Toby blush at the compliment.

"Yeah," Steven started, resting his hand over his head to comfort him. "he's pretty shy. He doesn't like it when people notice him."

"Some of us more than others." Cassandra said, returning to her food.

"Says the goth with blonde hair." Conner stated with a sly smirk, earning him a nasty glare from her. That much was true; Cassandra always stood out like a sore thumb among the dark culture.

"What's your name, sweetie?" The matriarch asked sweetly, leaning closer to the toddler.

Toby kept quiet for a moment. He didn't want to answer her question, but he was smart enough to know that it would be a rude thing to do. "T-To-To-b-by…" He stammered.

"Toby?" Caleb asked, looking confused.

"Yeah." Steven was the one to answer. "Toby's… got difficulties when it comes to speaking. He ends up unintentionally stammering every time." He explained. Toby looked down as his tiny hands clenched to Steven's chair in frustration. He didn't like it. He _hated_ himself when he does it, even if he couldn't help it.

"That's messed up." Conner commented, just before wincing in pain from Cassandra kicking his foot under the table.

"Yeah, it is." Steven replied. "Still, he's still very smart, not to mention a silly lil' cinnamon roll." He added, looking at Toby while ruffling his hair, earning a silent smile from the toddler. "Alright, go get yourself a chair and join us." Steven instructed.

Toby walked away from Steven, only returning a few moments later, dragging one of the table's chairs out from the corner and positioning it next to his brother. He then climbed onto the chair and shifted into a seated position. His shoulders barely above the table's surface with his feet dangling in the air. The family chuckled at the sight as Toby gave an unamused glare to no one in particular. "I'll get the phone book." Claire offered between giggles.

"Stupid." Steven teased, poking Toby's head, promptly smacking it away as the matriarch returned with a big yellow book.

"Here you go, sweetie." She said, handing the book to Steven and walked to the kitchen. Toby stood up on the chair as Steven set the book down on it for him. The matriarch returned a minute later with a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs and some cutlery for the toddler. And with that, they continued their dinner.

* * *

It was 8:30pm now. After finishing his dinner, Steven excused himself to go to sleep early, since he couldn't get any on his trip. Or so he thought. Steven lied awake in his bed, staring blankly at the roof with tired eyes. _For god's sake,_ he thought. _Why can't I sleep now?_ He groaned, shifting around the bed in an attempt to get some much needed rest, only to get the same result. He decided to pull out his phone and browse social media. Not that he was interested in anything on it, he just wanted to fall asleep. As he browsed his Headbook timeline, he noticed Carol's account was in the suggested friends tab. He got curious into seeing what her timeline looks like, so he tapped her picture.

As he scrolled down her posts and pictures, he realized she was quite the popular girl at high school. He decided to write a mental note to keep distant from her at school and continued scrolling down, only to stop when he saw a selfie of her and another blonde that looked a lot like her with the hashtag '#SelfieImprovement'. Only differences were that her hair was shorter and she was slightly taller. _Didn't know Carol had a twin,_ He thought with a smirk. _Then again, I guess Carol isn't one of a kind after all._ He added with a chuckle. His Texter app chimed in all of sudden, revealing that someone messaged him. He opened the chat bubble, seeing it was his best friend in NYC, Huxley Morrison.

 **Aye, runnin' man. Wassup? How's the new gig? -)Hux**

Steven was a bit hesitant to reply. He really had no idea how to answer that question. Then he started typing back.

 **Steve(- Boi, I jus got here. How the hell am I suppose to know?**

 **LOL, glad 2 see U didn't change. So, wyd? -)Hux**

 **Steve(- Sleepin', or trying, at least.**

 **You sound like a hyped kid on the night b4 a school's field trip. -)Hux**

Okay, that was a _good_ one.

 **Steve(- Fuk you -_-**

There wasn't any new texts for a few moments before Huxley showed to be typing.

 **Bruh, yo ass needs 2 go find some psy. You 17 and still a damn virgin, Nigga. -)Hux**

 **Steve(- Ur one 2 speak. I remember U went 2 the Junior dance alone, am I right?**

That much was true. Steven knew he struck a nerve when he didn't respond instantly.

 **Ight, you win this time -)Hux**

 **So, when you gon start goin' to school? -)Hux**

 **Steve(- Tomorrow.**

 **Try not to stir the pot on yo first day, ight? -)Hux**

 **Steven(- Can't make promises.**

 **I wanna visit you in prison, not the cemetery bruh. -)Hux**

 **Steven(- I promise to be on my best behavior, das the best I can do -_-**

… **Good enough for me. -)Hux**

 **Steven(- Imma go get sum rest now. Txt you later man.**

 **Take care. -)Hux**

Steven turned his display off and put his phone on the nightstand, shifting under the blanket, closing his eyes and finally beginning to fall asleep.

* * *

By the time is was 6 in the morning, Steven's phone alarm rang. Steven reached over to the nightstand, putting the phone in a snooze… For the _fifth_ time.

Downstairs, Claire was in the kitchen, making waffle batter, while Carol was by the stove, cooking eggs and turkey bacon for breakfast. Toby was eating cereal with Conner while Cassandra just finished hers. "Is Steven still asleep?" Carol asked, noticing Steven's absence.

"I think so." The matriarch answered. "Conner, can you go wake him up, please?"

Conner groaned as he got up, making his way up the stairs and to the guests' bedroom door, giving it a knock. "Steven, wake up." Conner called before knocking the door again.

Steven was stirred awake, shifting under the blanket as he groaned in protest. "Go away…" He answered.

"Dude, you better wake up." Conner warned. "Mom doesn't like it when we don't wake up for school." He was met with silence. Conner scowled at this. He realized he had to bring the big guns as a smirk formed on his lips. "Mom tends to use a water bucket when we don't wake up for school, you know." He stated.

Steven's eyes jolted open and sat up, looking at the door in horror. "She won't…" He said. He had his fair share of _rude awakenings_ from his mother.

"You really wanna take the chance~?" Conner asked and walked away.

Inside the room, Steven was petrified. He wasn't gonna take the risk to make his aunt angry. Especially if she was like his mother. That thought sent a chill down his spine as he got up and went for his trunk. Since it's his first day at school, he might as well look a little sharp today. He pulled out a pair of blue jeans, a black T-shirt with the text 'DEADASS' printed in bold, white letters, and a blue jean jacket to match. And then grabbed a black Yankee cap to represent his hometown. He then went for the door and then to the bathroom.

By the time Steven came down the stairs, Carol, Cassandra, Conner and Toby seemed to be ready to go to school. "Seems like I was the last to leave bed." Steven said.

"Yeah, no kiddin-ow!" Conner was interrupted by Cassandra elbowing his ribs. "I mean, it's okay. You did have a long day yesterday, heh." He corrected himself.

"Uh-huh," Steven nodded with half-lidded eyes. "Anyways," He then turned his sight to his little stepbrother. "Behave at school. And be more social. Who knows? You might make a few friends." He instructed, receiving a nod from the toddler.

"I'll go have him registered." Claire said. "You don't have to worry, sweetie." She assured, patting his shoulder. "Alright, Conner, Cassy, let's go before you're late." She added, grabbing her purse and her keys. And with that, they're gone.

"Well, I guess we should be gone as well." Carol said, reaching for her dad's car keys. "I can't wait 'til you meet my friends!" She stated excitedly.

"Yeah, I dunno about that." Steven stated, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"What are you talking about?" Carol asked, confused.

"I'm not that good at first impressions, y'know." He explained, adjusting his cap.

"Oh, that's just nonsense," She waved her hand dismissively. "They're gonna love you! Come on now, we have to hurry." She urged, pulling him out the house by his arm.

* * *

The ride to school wasn't much eventful, apart from Steven clinging on to dear life after Carol's reckless driving across town. He hasn't been so scared in a car before like he was this morning. Once they've arrived to Royal Woods' high, Steven was walking with Carol towards the school's entrance. He was quite surprised with how many students said hi to her. Once they entered, Carol stopped and turned to face him. "Alright, Stevie, the principle's office is at the end of the hallway. I'll see you at lunch, okay? Bye now!" She waved off as she walked away for class.

Steven looked around for a minute, scouting the environment. The place was pretty neat and clean for a public school. No graffiti, the floor is mopped, and it's not as crowded as his old school in New York.

Then, it happened…

As his eyes looked around, they've collided with someone else. It was a white male with blonde hair and quite a muscular body built. He was a few inches taller with a chiseled face. He was looking directly into Steven's eyes, trying to make some sort of dominance over him. But Steven isn't one to be controlled. The teen was surprised when he saw Steven countering with a glare of his own.

Steven knew why he looked at him like that. He knew who he was. He's the popular, athletic jock who thinks he's the king of this school. Steven had met his kind before, and they didn't like the _results_ when they tried to push him around. He had a feeling this guy was like the rest… But then, he remembered that he made a promise to be on his best behavior. This meant no fighting. Plus, his right hand was still injured, so he can't put it under effort.

Therefore, Steven decided that it'd be best to retreat from the staring contest and headed down the hallway towards the principal's office.

As Steven walked away, the teen smirked. _Guess he's not that much of a tough guy, after, all_ , He thought, but then his smirk faded when he remembered the way he looked at him. It wasn't a fake attempt to look tough. It was a glare of _assessment_.

He was _sizing_ him, why?

"Yo, Teddy," One of his group called, snapping him out of his thoughts. Teddy looked at another beefcake of a team, wearing a baseball cap with the school's uniform, and a perpetually dumb expression, along with freckled cheeks. "We gonna hit the gym after lunch. You Comin'?" He offered.

"Yeah, sure." Teddy nodded, looking in the direction the new kid was at. "Hey, Mac, you know anything about the new guy?" He asked, looking at a behemoth of a teen with dark skin and military cut.

"Only that he came from New York." The jock answered. "I heard rumors that he's Carol Pingrey's 'cuz, too." He added.

"I saw them walkin' in together moments ago, dudes." A boy with a Mohawk spoke. He was in Teddy's height, but less muscular. "Why don't we show him _the ropes_ later on, huh?" He suggested, cracking his knuckles with a smirk.

"Show him how things run around here, eh?" Mac added as they nodded and chuckled at each other. Seems like the new kid is gonna have a very unpleasant time in here.

* * *

Meanwhile, a secretary was sitting behind an office. Next to said office was a wooden door with a metal sign carrying the text 'Principal Hawkins' fitted on it. The principle inside was a middle-aged man with grey hair, neatly combed to the back. He wore a fancy brown suit with a red tie. Sitting down behind his fancy office, he was reading a file placing on it. A few moments later, the secretary's voice came through the phone.

 _"Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Wade has arrived."_

"Send him in, Mrs. Doris." Came the principal's deep-voiced answer as he folded the file shut, turning his sight to the door.

Moments later, the doorknob twisted, and the door began to open, revealing Steven. He was still wearing his Yankee cap over his head, much to the principal's displease. "Now, Mr. Wade, I am sure you are aware that wearing hats indoors is rude." He stated.

Steven wanted to argue, but he knew better. So, he removed the cap.

"Very good." The principal nodded. "Now, I have just finished reading your file. You've done quite a _lot_ of naughty things, haven't you? Please, do take a seat." He offered, gesturing to the chair in front of him. Steven complied and sat down, facing the principal. "Now, I do like to believe that young boys like you are those with the biggest potentials. But you, young man, are a very difficult case." He stated, opening the file again. "Let's see what I am talking about. Vandalism, fighting, bad language, audacity towards staff, damage to property, and assaulting your Mathematics teacher. Oh, I'm scared of you, Mr. Wade!" He stated, holding his hands up to punctuate his point.

"C'mon, man, gimme a break." Steven whined. It took a lot of him not to roll his eyes.

"Yes, young man," Mr. Hawkins stood up and started walking around the office. "In my twenty five years, I have never seen a case like you. Never in my life. You, my boy, are the _worst_ student I have ever encountered." He stated. He then turned around, looking at Steven and said "But you see, you excel at causing trouble, and I excel at _fixing_ boys like boys like _you_."

Uh-oh, that pushed a button.

"What do you mean boys like _me_ …?" Steven hissed, shooting a glare full of venom and defiance at the principal. He's not gonna let this old man think he got him figured out.

"I see something in you, Mr. Wade." The principal said, walking back to his chair. "I can see behind all this anger and attitude, that there is an intelligent man waiting to come out. I want to be your friend, Mr. Wade. Therefore, I want you to understand that I do not tolerate shenanigans in my school." He then took a seat on his chair and looked directly into Steven's eyes. "You better keep that nose clean, boy, or I will _clean_ it myself… Do I make myself clear?" He asked.

"Yes sir…" Steven answered, doing little effort to hide the venom in his voice.

"Brilliant!" The principal spoke with a changed demeanor. He then pressed a button on his telephone. "Mrs. Doris, could you provide Mr. Wade with the books he will need for his classes, please?" He asked.

 _"Right away, Mr. Hawkins."_ Came her reply.

And with that, Steven stood up and turned towards the door. "And boy…" He stopped in his track, not even bothering to look back. "Remember… You have a clean nose. So keep it clean, or I will _clean_ it for you…" The principal then gestured him to leave the office.

So, there he is now, in a new school, at a town completely different from New York. He's been here for only fifteen minutes, and he already has a target on his back. And that grumpy old man thinks he can tame him? _We shall see,_ He thought. _I only give people what's coming to them_.

* * *

Two hour later, Steven was bored out of his mind at History class. Surprisingly enough, the girl who looked a lot like Carol had history with him. Turns out her name is Lori Loud. He didn't care much for her at start, but when he knew she had _ten_ younger siblings, he was quite surprised. Her parents must've been _really_ bored to have that many children. Come to think of it, Steven always wondered what would it be like if he had a big family like th-

"Mr. Wade!" Came a voice that snapped him out of his train of thoughts. It was his teacher. Steven looked at his teacher, who seemed to be aware of his daze. "Perhaps you can tell us what happened to the soldiers after the first world war?" He asked.

Steven slowly stood up, all eyes on him. He cleared his throat, meaning he has an answer. "Uh… They're all dead." Was his answer. Well, he's not wrong.

The other students stifled their laughs, much to the teacher's displease. "Very funny, Mr. Wade. Come see me after class." He chastised, and Steven gave a nod with a small smirk on his lips as he sat down and class went on.

After history (and some scolding), came One of Steven's favorite classes: Physics. The teacher was quite surprised at how much knowledge Steven had about quantum physics, atomic physics, and metaphysics. The discussion between Steven and Mr. Wallis had been nothing more than amusing. From how the teacher explained the mechanics of atoms, to how Steven confirmed that the universe did not come to be by accident. By the end of the class, Steven may have made his first friend in here, despite the fact some students will call him teacher's pet. Having him being called a future physicist didn't help either as some girls called him a nerd. _Can't help it, I guess._ He thought.

After finishing physics, English was next. Steven walked towards his locker, making his way through the partially crowded hallway. When he reached his locker, he began to insert the combination to his lock, only to notice something strange… The door was pushing out. He knew what that meant…

Steven moved to the side, keeping his hand on the locker. He then instructed the other students to get out of the way, and quickly pulled it open as a cream pie flew out and to the opposite wall. Steven looked around for perpetrator. "Cream pie? Really?!" He called out. "At least I play it safe while being unsafe!" He added, prompting the students within hearing range to explode with laughter at the joke. Steven then dug his hands into the locker and pulled the spring out, placing the books he carried in and drawing others out. Before he shuts his locker closed, he felt something smack against its door. He took a peak, only to find a girl in a short sea foam colored dress and platinum blonde hair with a pair of round shades resting on top of her head, sitting down on the ground.

"Owwies…" She groaned, rubbing her forehead before their eyes met. "Sorry," She apologized, collecting her books from the floor. "I wasn't, like, looking where I was going."

"Yeah, no kiddin'." Steven retorted, offering his hand to the girl, which she gladly accepted.

"I'm Leni," She introduced, smoothing her dress out before smiling at the stranger.

"Steven." Came his reply. "You look familiar…" He pointed, squinting his eyes and leaning closer to inspect her face.

Leni leaned back slightly, holding her books up to her chest with a look of confusion on her face. She had to admit, though. His eyes look kinda cute. "Hey, Leni!" Came Carol's voice. Steven turned his head to her voice's direction, only to see her walking towards them.

"Oh, Hi, Carol!" The blonde replied with a chipper tone and a wave. "Do you know him? He's, like, totes being a weirdo." She stated, pointing at Steven next to her. Steven rolled his eyes at that statement. Was he invisible or something?

"Oh, that's my cousin, Steven." She introduced, resting a hand on his shoulder. "He came from New York." She added.

"Oh, I get it! Welcome to Royal Woods!" She greeted, shaking his hand. "You totes could use a _makeover!_ " She added.

Steven looked down at his outfit. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" He asked, indignantly.

"I tend to agree with Leni," Carol stated, running her eyes up and down his body. "You _need_ to get rid of that Yankee look."

"… What's wrong with the Yankee look?!" He practically yelled.

"It's, like, totes cool!" Leni answered. "But not in here. You need something with a little more color!"

 _More color?_ He wondered. Then, it struck him. "I'm not gay…" He declared with a half-lidded glare.

Carol lost it there and held her hand to her mouth, laughing heartedly. Steven crossed his arms, rolling his eyes at that. "We… We didn't mean that, Stevie." Carol managed to spit out between giggles. "We just wanna make minor adjustments to your wardrobe, that's all."

Well, saying it like that… "Okay, fine." He sighed, lowering his arms. "You're gonna show me around town first, though." He pointed his finger at her.

"Deal." Carol agreed. Instantly after that, the five minutes bell rang, and the traffic began to move faster. "Well, we have classes to catch. See you at lunch, Stevie!" She said, walking away. Leni then patted his shoulder.

"Like, I'll see ya after school!" She said, waving at him and walking in the opposite direction.

"So far, so good." Steven muttered with a hint of pride. He was quite surprised that the day went without him starting fights or having detention. He quickly closed his locker and went to his next class.

* * *

After his mathematics class, Steven had his lunch break. He stood by one of the double doors of the cafeteria with a Tupperware container filled with spaghetti and meatballs from last night's dinner, along with a cup of soda he bought on the way to school. Looking around, He had to admit, there's a lot more students than he thought there would be. The long rows of tables were already full, same for the small round tables at the back. Except for one. Steven started his walk towards said table, passing by the long ones and then by the small, round ones. He noticed that the small tables had certain types of students, too. One obtained the fashion-obsessed chicks where Leni was in, another table where the Goths sat together, one that was for the musicians, and one for the popular girls where he found Carol and Lori from History class. He walked past that table and went to sit down on the empty one.

The moment his butt rested on the table, students around him went silent, and he could feel their eyes staring at him. He began to remove the container's cover, trying to ignore the eyes staring at him before he started hearing them whispering.

"Dudes, why do you keep staring at me like that?" He asked, turning his head to one of the students on the long tables.

"Dude, you're sitting on the Teddy's table," One of them answered. "I suggest you get up before he…" He trailed off as said student entered the cafeteria with his posse from the same door Steven walked in. "… comes…" he finished as the cafeteria went silent.

Teddy was looking around, just before his eyes rested on who was sitting on his table. It was the new guy. He had the _audacity_ to sit on his table? He's in for it now.

Steven gave an unamused look at the posse before returning to his lunch. "Look, I don't wanna be pushy, but you _don't_ wanna mess with Teddy, man…" The same student whispered, but Steven wasn't faded.

Everyone watched in silence as Teddy's group walked over to their table. Some even pulled out their phones and started recording. For Teddy, it was an insult that the new guys hasn't even acknowledged their presence. He looked at his friend with the Mohawk and nodded at the student in his seat.

The guy with the Mohawk smirked and walked closer to Steven, resting his hand on the table and leaning his head closer to his head. "Get up." He commanded.

Steven didn't even look at the guy, presumably ignoring him. But in reality, Steven wanted nothing more than to smash his face in. The only thing that kept him from doing so was that he gave his word to be on his best behavior. As one can tell, Steven is one to keep promises he makes.

But this guy is _pushing_ _it._

The punk looked back at Teddy, who only glared back at him. He understood what that glare meant. "Don't make me repeat…" He threatened. "Get up… _Now!"_ He snapped, banging his fist on the table.

… Bad move…

The next thing he knew was Steven's left hand smacking down on his, keeping it in place as he gripped on the fork in his right. The Mohawk teen's eyes widened. He was sure that he would stab his hand with said fork.

Steven wanted to do that. He wanted to teach this punk a lesson he will _never_ forget for the rest of his life. But that was just his anger fueling that thought. He felt merciful, all of a sudden. Steven released the punk's fist. And in a swift move, he grabbed his head and gave it a firm dab into the table, making it bounce off as he fell to the ground, much to everyone's surprise.

Everyone was in shock. And they were more shocked when he returned to eating his lunch as if nothing happened. Teddy, however, was began to become impatient. Luckily for him, he didn't wait long to be acknowledged. Steven took his cup of soda and stood up. Much to everyone's surprise, he went and stood directly in front of Teddy, staring directly in his eyes.

"Teddy, huh?" Steven asked, gathering spit in his mouth and squirting it into his drink before looking back up at him with what could be described as annoying smirk. "Now, what kind of a _bitch_ would call himself that?" He asked, earning a few gasps and 'ooh's.

Teddy was unfazed by the audacity of the newcomer. He let out a humph as a smirk took form on his lips. "I heard a lot about you, Steven." He spoke. "They say you're tough as nails, back in New York… But, you're in _my_ school now. And you…?" He let out a scoffing humph before continuing. "You're just another bi-"

 **Splash**

Everyone's jaws had dropped to the ground. Some couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. The new guy just splashed his drink in Teddy's face. The drink which he _spat_ in.

He practically spat in Teddy's _face_.

Steven dropped the plastic cup and walked away, not seeing the rising anger of Teddy, who had just been insulted in front of the whole school. He took a step forward, aiming his foot towards the place where the sun never shines for Steven.

Steven knew something was going on. No _way_ he would let him walk away after what he did. With another swift move, he dragged a bucket on wheels with a mop inside to cover his rear.

It worked. Teddy did kick the bucket instead of his balls, but the moment his foot connected, the bucket was smashed to pieces. Luckily, the bucket was empty, meaning there wasn't dirty water to splash all over.

Steven stopped in his tracks once he heard the smash. He looked back, only to see that, indeed, the bucket was blown to pieces by Teddy's kick. Before he could dwell on how strong Teddy was, he was tackled into the air by Teddy, resulting for both of them to smash through the goths' table. Some of the students nearby moved out of harm's way as the two began to brawl each other over the debris.

Fortunately, before it got ugly, four of the school's security rushed in and broke them apart. They tried to go at each other again, only for the security members to keep them apart as they were pulled away.

Among all the mess, Carol was watching in shock as she remembered last night's dinner. Is this what Steven meant by _learning to swim_? She couldn't believe that that sweet guy she once knew had become such a rebellion.

So much for being on his best behavior.

* * *

 **AUTHORS' NOTE**

 **Kyle: Okay, that's the second chapter done. We'll try to post a new chapter once every ten days, we'll do it in less should this story becomes popular.**

 **Lyle: We also would like to have a word with someone who's got big knowledge about certain characters from the Loud House to help us write them better, since we're still new to this whole fan fiction thing.**

 **Kyle: Like always, be sure to favorite and follow this story, and your critique helps us improve as writers, so please be sure to give us feedback. Until next time!**


	3. 03 A Call From Mom

**AUTHORS' NOTES**

 **Kyle: Alright, we're back with a new chapter!**

 **Lyle: Sorry we took so long, but Kyle had a roadbike race to train for and I had school on my back.**

 **Kyle: They're not interested in our lives, bro. Get back on topic...**

 **Lyle: In this chapter, Steven will go with Carol on their 'date' if you wanna call it that. Anyways, we're not gonna make you wait any longer, but before we let you read, please be sure to follow and review this story.**

 **Kyle: Oh, and we have a note at the end of this chapter, too.**

* * *

After the quick skirmish in the cafeteria, Steven was taken to the nurse's office to have his injured hand checked. After unwrapping the old bandage, it showed just how messed up his hand was. The knuckles were covered with bruises, along with cuts that were sealed by stitches. Luckily, the stitching on his knuckles did not break, but it was bleeding again. The nurse was tending to his injury with care as Steven sat silently, until he flinched from the sudden burn in his hand. "Sorry." She apologized, gently dabbing a ball of cotton soaked in disinfectant over his wounds.

Steven sighed in relief once the burning stopped. And as she began to cover the stitches with clean cotton, the door opened, revealing a concerned principal Hawkins walking in. "How is he, nurse?" He asked, standing in front of them.

"His stitches started bleeding, but the stitching didn't break." She answered. "I've changed his bandages and added more cotton, just to be safe. But he needs to be more careful in the future."

"Thanks a lot." Steven thanked, rubbing the new bandages wrapped carefully around his right hand. If he had to say, this wrapping was a lot better.

"You seem to be making yourself quite _comfortable_ here, Mr. Wade." The principal commented with a hint of irritation in his voice, and he had every right to be.

"I'm trying to." Steven retorted.

"Well, you're not trying hard enough." The principal started, crossing his arms. "may I ask when did you decide that _fighting_ other students is one way to fit in? I do not wish for my students to behave like hooligans."

"Yeah, you could've fooled me…" Steven muttered under his breath. It wasn't unheard by the principal, though.

"Excuse me?"

"I said you could've fooled me!" Steven repeated, getting up to his feet. "I'm in this place for two hours, and I already have a price on my head!" He explained.

"That is a load of baloney, pardon my language." The principal retorted. "I understand that you did not have any ill will in the cafeteria, so I will let you go without punishment just this once. But I want you to mind your temper, Mr. Wade." He demanded. "I want you to behave yourself. Who knows? You might learn a thing or two."

"Fine," Steven said half-heartedly. "Can I go now, sir?" He asked with a pause before 'sir'.

"On your way." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. And with that, Steven went for the door.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the school's gymnasium, Teddy was by a punching bag, punching away while wearing boxing gloves and a very irritated look on his face. He was still infuriated with the whole cafeteria ordeal. "Those stupid pigs!" He snapped, whacking the punching bag once. "Do they think I'm scared of that fuckin' clown?!" He turned to his friends.

"Dude, chill," The one with the Mohawk instructed. He had a small bruise on his forehead from dabbing into that table earlier. "you'll have your shot at him."

"I _had_ my shot at him!" Teddy snapped. "And then those fuckers stepped in and saved him! How do you think that looks, huh?!" He asked, waving his hands around for emphasis.

"Teddy, you need to calm down." Mac started. "They were just doin' their job. You should feel lucky the principal didn't suspend you for fightin', man."

Teddy was trying to calm down, but the humiliation he went through was too big to let go. He growled, turning around and tipping a bench lifting table with a kick. How can he calm down when some punk from New York comes here and thinks he can do what he wants? He can still remember how he _smirked_ at him while splashing that drink in his face.

How he disrespected him. In front of _everyone_ , no less...

* * *

After the visit to the nurse's office, Steven's day proceeded as normally as it could be. He was now at his last class before the bell: Geography. He was staring blankly ahead. Why would someone need to study geography if you have Google earth? _This is a waste of time._ He mentally complained. _I should be eating the lunch I missed, thanks to that bitch Teddy, instead of-_

His mental rant was cut off by the sound of the bell ringing, indicating that his first day at Royal Woods High is officially over. In his standards, he might have been on his best behavior. Steven placed his geography book inside his backpack and then slipping both straps on the same shoulder. Once he was at the school's parking space, he saw Carol, leaning against her car. A sensation of dread suddenly filled him; She must've seen him in the cafeteria.

He walked towards the blonde. Once he was within earshot, Carol left her spot and walked closer to him, her face hard to read. _Be cool, be cool, be cool,_ He kept repeating in his mind. "Uhhh, hi, Carol." He spoke with a sheepish grin.

"Really?" She asked, crossing her arms. "That's all you got to say?"

"Well, I-"

"What the heck were you thinking?!" She snapped, stomping the ground once. "Fighting on your first day at school?! Are you serious right now?!" She then took a breath to calm herself and her glare softened. "this isn't you, Stevie."

"Yes, it is, Carol." Steven replied. "But I'm not a bad person. I'm not some punk who goes around starting trouble just to look cool." He explained, rubbing his freshly bandaged palm. "A lot has changed in me since we were kids. I'm not that shy little boy who avoids confrontation… I'm done being a pushover… Is that a problem with you, Carol?" He asked, a small glare forming in his eyes.

To say Carol was surprised by the changes Steven had was an understatement. She knew that living in a big city can change you in certain ways, but she didn't expect Steven to change like _this_. She took a deep breath before holding his injured hand in hers. "It's not. I'm just worried about you, Stevie." She answered sincerely. "Please don't go around, picking fights with people." She then pulled out her secret weapon: the sad puppy eyes.

"Oh, c'mon, Carol! Not the sad puppy eyes!" He whined, looking away from her eyes. He's always been weak when she'd give him the sad puppy eyes stare. It didn't help when she curved her lips down and started whimpering like a little puppy. He couldn't deny how cute she looked when she does that. "Okay, fine, I'll do what you want!" He finally snapped. "I'll keep the activity to a minimum, that's the best I can do." He added.

It was enough for Carol, whom she was smiling brightly. "Awesome!" She released his hand.

"Yeah, yeah. You should count yourself lucky that trick still works on me." He retorted, crossing his arms. "Anyways, you gon' show me 'round or what?"

"Of course I will." She answered, fetching her keys. Steven inhaled deeply through his nose, accepting the fact he will have to ride with Carol again.

* * *

Later on that same day, Steven and Carol had been out together for a few hours. She showed him the mall, the mini golf course she would go to, and showed him the professional golf club. Much to Steven's surprise, Carol's driving wasn't as terrifying as it was earlier that day, to the point he didn't need to grip on the passenger's handle. They were at a place called Gus' Game n' Grub, an arcade with a small diner. Carol and Steven had spent a while on one of the tables, talking about this and that.

"So, let me get this straight," Carol spoke, holding her palm up. "You and your friend thought it would be funny to wire your other friend's car horn to the breaking lights, just because he kept rubbing his driver's license in your faces?"

"Yeah," Steven answered, chuckling at the memory. "You should've seen the look on his face every time he sounds the horn when breaking. He'd look so angry, I could've swore he would trash it a number of times." He finished, breaking into a fit of laughter as Carol giggled.

"Isn't it a bit mean to do that to him?" She asked.

"Oh, it's just a simple wire from the horn to the tail light." He explained. "He didn't know that, though." He added with a sly wink.

"They seem nice, your friends." Carol commented with a smile.

"Well, they were the only people who didn't keep their distance from me." He reasoned. "Or tried to anger me, for that matter… But yeah, they're cool, especially my boy, Hux."

"Hux?" Carol girded her eyebrow; that's an unusual name for a boy.

"Yeah, his name is Huxley, but he calls himself Hux" Steven clarified.

"Sounds like a name for a cologne to me." Carol said.

"Ain't that the truth." Steven added as they both shared a laugh.

As they chatted, a certain waitress with blonde hair, holding two glasses filled with smoothies, approached them. "Here are your smoothies." Once she spoke, their attention turned to her.

"Lori!" Carol stood up, hugging her new friend, her returning the gesture. "Omigosh, it's so good to see you!"

"I literally didn't expect to see you here too!" Was her reply as they released from their hug. Steven took a sip from his smoothie while waiting for them to realize he was still there.

"This is my cousin, Steven," She introduced. "He came from New York."

Steven smiled, standing up and offering his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Lori." He spoke.

She smiled back, shaking his hand as well. "You literally stirred the pot, you know." She stated, crossing her arms.

"Are you talking about what happened at the cafeteria at school?" He asked. "Don't students here fight at school?" He girded his eyebrow.

"No, it's not that, it's who you fought with." She clarified. "Picking a fight with Teddy…" She shook her head with a smirk. "I literally hope you have good health insurance."

Steven narrowed his eyes. "Why…?" He hissed, furrowing his eyrbows.

"Well, Teddy's dad was a Martial arts trainer." She answered. "He literally taught Teddy everything he knows ever since he was a toddler." She rested a hand on her hip.

"So, am I suppose to be worried?" Steven asked, sitting back down and taking another sip of his smoothie.

"Well, unless you literally wanna be hospitalized, then yes." She answered.

"Lori Loud!" A grown up male voice boomed, startling the blonde. "I pay you to work, not to chat!"

"Y-yes sir!" She yelled back. "I gotta get back to work, you guys. It's literally nice to see you Carol. And nice to meet you too, Stevie. Cya at school." She said in a hurry as she rushed off to her job.

As Lori walked away, Steven began to dwell on what she said. Coming to think of it, he never really fought someone who _knew_ how to fight. Yes, he'd been in sparring rounds with others when he was learning to box, but none of those he sparred with went beyond the second round, and they were at least a dozen. He took another sip of his smoothie, being careful not to give himself a brain freeze. He'd seen enough MMA to know what Lori was talking about. In all honesty, Steven always thought that all that kick-boxing, Kong Fu fighting was just flashy moves that has the sole purpose of entertaining a crowd. Should Teddy know that kind of fighters, Steven doesn't have to worry about him holding up…

… But what if he was wrong…?

"Steven!" Came Carol's voice, snapping him out of his trance. He blinked twice, seeing the concerned look in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was jus' thinking 'bout something." He answered, taking a sip from his smoothie. "No, not about that punk Teddy" He added with a half-lidded glare once he noticed the smirk on her lips.

"Right~" Came her reply. "Anyways, we should get home soon. Finish that smoothie and let's go."

"Don't rush me, I'll take longer." He threatened, taking another sip from his smoothie. He was halfway through the cold drink by now.

"I swear I'll leave you behind."

"Please do," Steven retorted. "I don't feel like getting carsick, anyways." A smirk took form on his lips as he took another sip.

"Excuse me?!" Carol snapped.

"Let's face it, Carol, you're a very ungraceful driver at times." Steven said matter-of-factly. "Especially when you're on a hurry." He leaned forward with a sly smirk, which prompted Carol to throw her straw at him in fake displease. "Hey." He complained, the smirk never leaving his face.

"That's for offending my driving skills." She reasoned, giving a fake scowl before smiling at him. "Now hurry up and down that thing, I have homework."

Steven grabbed the smoothie and quickly drank down what remained in big gulps. He then stood up, fetching his wallet from his rear pocket and drew out a 10$ bill, placing it on the table.

"No, let me pay for the drinks!" She protested.

"Too late," Was Steven's answer as he took her hand and walked away. "Let's go."

* * *

The ride home was eventless. Steven was in the living, watching Vampires of Melancholia with Cassandra, both of them having a blank face expression. Steven wasn't a fan of the show, but he enjoyed trying new things every once in a while. "So…" He broke the silence. "This dude, Edwin. He's over two hundred years old?" He asked.

"Two hundred and two." Cassandra corrected in her usual monotone.

"Ah, I see now." He nodded. "So, does that number include his human years?" Cassandra turned her head in his direction in confusion.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Oh, you know," Steven started, resting his back on the couch. "You become a vampire if a vampire drinks your blood. So, it only makes sense that Edwin has been bitten by another vampire." He said with a smirk.

Cassandra opened her mouth to retort, but the words didn't come out. Coming to think of it, Steven is right. The only vampire from birth is Dracula, but that's only because he made a deal with the devil. Cassandra held her chin as she thought deeply about this matter. Could this be a plot hole in the show, or is it something to be revealed in the next season? "How do you know all of this?" She asked.

"Biology." He simply answered. "If vampirism is a virus, you have to be infected with it. Meaning that Edwin must've been bitten by someone." He reasoned. "Who knows? Maybe this might be explained next season." He added with a shrug of his shoulders.

"… Good talk…" Was all she said before they both returned to watching their show.

Toby was with Conner in his bedroom, watching his cousin play Turbo Fighter II in silence. In all honesty, Toby was holding his laugh whenever Conner gets into an anger episode for losing an online match. "Grr!" He growled. " The controls are so off-balance!" Just then, he just lost another round. " _Dang it!_ " He snapped, making poor Toby wince from the sudden yell.

"Conner, watch your language!" Came Claire's yelling from the kitchen. He groaned and laid down on the bed with Toby booping his nose.

"Stop that." Conner said. "I hate this game… Nothing works properly in it…" He muttered.

Toby held his chin in thought for a few seconds before getting off the bed, only to return a few moments later, holding a certain video game over Conner's face. It was Mario Kart. Conner took the game from Toby and sat up. "You wanna play Mario Kart?" He asked, Toby answering with a nod and a toothy grin. "Alright, but I'm not gonna go easy on you, just because you're younger." He taunted with a smirk.

"I-i-it i-is on, M-m-mis-ter." Toby stammered, defiantly glaring at Conner. The 11 year-old couldn't help but find it cute whenever Toby stammers. He got off the bed and walked across his room to the console, placing the CD in place and starting the game. Once it started loading, he grabbed the second controller and walked back to Toby, handing him the controller and got his. "Alright, then," He declared. "The game is on!"

* * *

By the time it was 8 in the evening, Steven had finished eating dinner and went back to his room. He wasn't sleepy, he just wanted some time alone. He had his laptop (A high performance one at that) resting on the nightstand, idly showing the desktop as he stood in the middle of the room.

He was in nothing but a white tank top, along with a pair of brown and black trunks with the Yankee logo sewed on the sides. His body built was quite muscular for his age. He was in a boxing stance, audibly whipping his fists through the air in quick jabs, crosses, hooks and uppercuts. After forty minutes of wearing himself out, he was glistening with sweat, panting lightly. He sat down on the bed to catch his breath, but he was interrupted by the recognizable ringtone of a Skype video call. He turned his sight to his laptop to see who it was.

It was a group call, holding the names: Hux, Reggie, and Rocky.

A smirk took form on Steven's lips as he grabbed his device and answered. He was met with three boys around his age, two of them black, and one was white with a blonde cornrow hairstyle. One of the black males had a military cut, while the other had a black cap with the word 'NIBBA' printed in bald, white letters and a small goatee on his chin.

"Ayyyye, runnin' man!" Came the white teen's voice. It was Huxley Morrison.

"Aye, Hux. 'Sup, dudes." Steven greeted. "Didn't expect y'all to miss me this quick."

"Naw, we jus' makin' sure you still alive, homie." Reggie, the one with the military cut, retorted. He then took notice of Steven's sweaty face and tank top. "You came from the gym or sum'? You know you not allowed to box til yo hand is perfectly healed, dude." He scolded.

"Whatever you say, Pops." Steven replied, rolling his eyes. "I was just warmin' up, don't worry." He reassured.

"So," Rocky started, adjusting his cap. "how was yo first day at school?"

"I, uh…" Steven hesitated, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "I got into a fight." He admitted. Much to his displease, his friends suddenly burst laughing. "What? What's so funny?" He asked, flustered.

"Bruh…" Reggie blurted out between cackles. "We knew you wouldn't last a day without startin' shit. Includin' yo first day at school." He explained

"So, we made a small bet." Rocky continued.

"On what kind of shit you gon' put yoself through." Hux finished, wiping a tear off the edge of his left eye.

Steven wore a blank face expression, seeing that his friends were making bets about what kind of trouble would get himself into on his first day at his new school.

Then again… "Who won?" He asked.

"I did," Hux spoke. "And I know what you wanna say." He continued, seeing that Steven was about to say something. "Yea, Imma share the money with you, fool." He added with a smirk

"Good man." Steven praised. "Dudes, can we talk later? I smell like Rocky's bedroom."

Hux and Reggie shared a laugh as Rocky scowled. "Dude, das low, even for you." He commented, shaking his head.

"Sorry, man." Steven chuckled under his breath. "But you get my point. I'll catch up with y'all." He finished, ending the call from his end. He then folded his laptop shut. He then opened the top drawer and grabbed his towel, a piece of soap, and a bottle of shampoo, and a bottle of Axe deodorant. After that, he made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Steven wore nothing but his towels around his waist. He was standing in front of the mirror, tugging around his lips to make sure his teeth were clean and without cavity. Once he was done, he then grabbed the comb from the marble sink and began to comb his hair back. Once he was done, he smiled at what he saw.

It didn't last long, though. His hair returned to its normal appearance. He frowned for a moment before a chuckle escaped his mouth. _Why am I even trying?_ He wondered. _It's not like I have a reason to try and look handsome, anyway…_

…Although, he wished he had.

He grabbed his stuff from the bathroom and once he opened the bathroom door, he found himself facing Cassandra. "Oh, hey lil' dude." He greeted the young goth. "Bathroom's all yours." He then walked past her with a strut.

It took all of Cassandra's willpower not to swoon at the sight of Steven's bare skin. She didn't think much of him before, but now…? She couldn't help but think of how it'd feel like to have him holding her close against his chest… and his abs. Oh god, his abs. Cassandra's cheeks began to heat up as they became red from the thoughts taking form in her brain. She quickly shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she ran into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her and resting her back on it. Why was she having these thoughts? He isn't even that hot, anyway. Yes, maybe she can have an exciting conversation about vampires and mythical creatures with him. Yes, he's smart and open-minded…

Cassandra buried her face in her hands. She couldn't believe how shallow she was, dwelling over her cousin just because she saw him without clothes… "Sigh… I hope this doesn't last long…" She muttered. Then, she remembered why did she wanted to go to the bathroom in the first place.

Back in his room, Steven slipped on a pair of cotton shorts and a white cotton T-shirt as he prepared to go to bed. But the moment he grabbed the blanket, his phone rang. Steven grumbled, reaching for the device on his nightstand. All it took was one look at the caller ID to kick the sleep out of his eyes. It was his mother. Steven shot up, answering the call. "Hey, mom." He greeted.

 _"Hey baby~"_ Came the reply of her tired voice. _"I hope I didn't wake you up."_

"No, not at all, mom." He answered with a sincere smile on his face. "I was wondering when you'd call, actually."

She gave a sweet giggle across the phone before speaking. _"Well, I'm glad I did."_ She paused, stifling a yawn. _"How was your first day at school?"_

"It was alright. Nothing interesting happened." He answered. He figured it's best not to mention the tussle he had at school. "Nothing at all."

" _Don't you dare lie to me, young man."_ She condemned sternly. _"If I find out you were lying, I'm gonna take the first flight to Michigan."_

"Why would I lie?" He asked, giving a nervous laugh; his mother is downright scary when she's mad.

 _"That's my boy~"_ She replied, the sweetness returning to her voice. _"I'll let you get some rest now. Don't stay up all night, okay? And no punching bags either."_ He demanded.

"Yes, ma'am." Steven obliged.

 _"How's Toby?"_

"He's fine, he's sleeping with Conner right now." Steven answered.

 _"I see now…"_ She stifled another yawn, her voice growing more tired. _"Well, then, I think I'll go get some rest. I love you~"_

"I love you too, Mom. Goodnight." He finished, hanging up and placing the phone back on the nightstand before lying down on his belly. He couldn't help but feel sad that she's all by herself because he couldn't put a lid on his anger, and he couldn't do it today, either. _Pull your shit together, Stevie_. He ordered himself. Then, his eyelids began to feel heavy as they began to fall, closing his eyes shut in the process. Despite the turmoil in Steven, he always manages to get a good night's sleep, much to some of his friends' envy.

* * *

 **AUTHORS' NOTES**

 **Kyle: Well, that was it. Now, for the note we talked about, we have an idea for a new fic.**

 **Lyle: It includes the Louse sisters, and our favorite day of the week: Torture Tuesday.**

 **Kyle: The fic will be about the siblings putting each other in a form of torture... Not the bloody, painful kind, though. You can vote on who to start this fic with in the reviews.**

 **Lyle: That out of the way, I'm afraid I'll be extremely busy as of tomorrow, so this story _might_ go on a hiatus. That's all for now. Until next time, be safe! :)**


	4. 04 Bully Repellent

**Authors' notes**

 **Kyle: Woo! Man, it feels so good to be back to writing!**

 **Lyle: You can say that again!**

 **Kyle: We apologize for making you guys wait for so long. But we're back with a new chapter! _And_ we have improved our writing style, thanks to the help of a few good friends we had made on this website.**

 **Lyle: On further notice, we now have a Discord account, in case you wanted to make a special request, or would simply like to have someone to talk to:)**

 **Kyle: Now, we're not gonna stall any longer, so let's just get into the chapter you guys have been waiting for!**

* * *

Friday. The most anticipated day of the whole week. The start of a whole weekend to relax and do nothing after a week of school. For Steven, it was the day where he'd go to the gym and spend three hours after school training. That is, before he got his right hand hurt.

Steven was walking down the hallway towards his locker, not looking interested in anything. Last night, while browsing social media after his chat with his mother when he couldn't sleep, he found out that his tussle with that punk Teddy was recorded and probably the _whole_ school saw it. Some said he was being stupid for picking a fight with him, while others stated that it's about time someone stands up to him and put him in his place. Those were very few, though, mainly the nerds and victims of the school. He didn't get it, though. Why would a simple fight at the cafeteria get so much attention? He did hear from Lori that Teddy was some sort of MMA fighter and that he can put him in the hospital and shit, but he still believed that all that Kick-boxing and kong-fu shit was _way_ overrated.

He pursed his lips at the thought. _MMA._ Fighting for other people's entertainment. He shook his head at the thought; he's not gonna put himself in harm's way just so others get entertained…

… Unless he's got something to gain from it.

Coming to think of it, he always thought he had some sort of a switch inside of him. Either angry and violent, or calm and friendly. Finding the perfect degree between them has always been a challenge for him. Especially when you stick out like a sore thumb like Steven. He couldn't explain why, but everything he does seems to draw attention. In the cafeteria incident, he only sat down on the only available seats he could find. And he'd be damned if he sat on the floor to eat his lunch. The physics class, it's not wrong to be smart in it, right? And even in the hallway right now. People kept giving him weird looks, especially the girls. They'd even smile at him for some reason… Probably because he wasn't wearing his jacket so his arm muscles were showing through the dark green T-shirt he was wearing, but still. Sometimes, Steven hated being the center of attention for all the shit that comes with it.

His line of thought was cut short by the loud ringing of the bell, indicating he had five minutes to get to class. _I guess I have time to dwell on this later,_ He thought, picking up his pace in walking to get to his first class of the day.

* * *

Steven's day proceeded normally. He was in the cafeteria now, sitting in one of the long tables to the far corner, far from the other students. As far as possible from the small round tables. He was eating a chicken cheese burger he bought from the cafeteria. It was surprising for him that they serve fast-food like this at a school's cafeteria. Then again, it wasn't like the greasy beef you find at Burpin' Burger, so it was all good.

Now that he had nothing on his back, Steven took a look around the café. He noticed that it was divided into several cliques, or _gangs_ as he would like to call them.

On the corner near the garbage bin were the nerds, the social outcasts. They look harmless in appearance, but they can be sneaky bastards from what Steven had learned in his high school years.

On the far end of the round tables near the kitchen's entrance were what Steven likes to call _The Witches._ They're the most popular girls in the school. Mostly cheerleaders and queen bees. Don't let their beauty fool you, those bitches are _mean_.

On the table where he tussled with Teddy was where the jocks hang. They seem to rule the school. People seem to avoid them, but Steven isn't one to be intimidated by some brainless behemoths.

And the rest are just the common high school students. Which brought a question into mind: What type of student is Steven? He's not a nerd, he's not a jock, so which clique does he belong to? For real, though. I mean, he's smart, but not a nerd. He's athletic, but he refuses to be categorized with those meatbags… So, where does he belong…?

"Excuse me," A Hispanic dude spoke, drawing Steven's attention. He had a tanned skin, black hair, and a very skinny physique. "You mind if I join you? All the seats are taken."

Steven wanted to tell him no. That it wasn't his problem. But instead, he kept quiet and simply gestured at the seat in front of him. He didn't know why, but he was a little glad he had some company during lunch.

The Hispanic teen sat in front of him once he was offered the spot. For some time, they ate in silence, apart from the noise of the cafeteria in the background. "So…" He started, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "You're the new guy, huh?" He then extended his hand over. "I'm Roberto. But people call me Bobby. Nice to meet you." He gave a friendly smile.

Steven simply stared at the hand for a moment before flicking his eyes at the boy's face. "Steven, and don't ask how I'm doing." He responded. Bobby simply drew his hand back. "I've been around here for forty-eight hours, and people already want me dead. Even my teachers never hated me this quickly." He finished, putting his half-eaten burger down. His appetite is gone for some reason.

"Well, I don't know what to say about that, buddy." Bobby said.

"I don't need your sympathy, dude." Steven stated firmly, a glare in his eyes directed at the Hispanic young man.

"What? No, no no, I didn't mean to-noooo," He stammered nervously, holding his hands up and gave a nervous laugh. All it took was one glare to scare him. "I-I didn't mean that, man, chill." And Steven did just that as he returned to his burger. And bobby just stared at him with a smile on his face.

 _Blink_.

Steven started to feel his eyes blink after a short while.

 _Blink._

They began to bother him a short while longer.

 _Blink._

Okay, now he's getting on his nerves.

 _Blink._

Steven lowered his almost-eaten burger and looked up at Bobby, who still had that smile on his face. "Dude, why are you staring at me like I'm the Mona-fuckin'-lisa?" He asked.

Bobby swallowed what he was chewing, the smile never left his face. "I'm sorry," He started. "I'm just really excited to finally meet _The Assailant_ in person!" He explained in controlled enthusiasm.

Steven's eyes went wide at the revelation. _He knows who I am?_ The Assailant was the nickname he earned after his third sparring round in New York. They called him The Assailant because that's what he'd done to his opponents; he didn't even give them a chance to fight back. If Bobby here knew him from there, who else does?

 _Welp, I guess I have Hux to blame for this_ , he thought to himself, a small smirk taking form on his lips. "How'd you know it was me?" He asked.

* * *

Meanwhile across town, Toby was in Royal Woods' combined grades school, in the kindergarten, to be precise. It was drawing time, and the kids were scattered across the colorful room, making their works of art. The doodling of each student was a little sloppy with plenty of contrasting colors, as one would expect from four-year-olds. Toby, however, and much to the teacher's surprise, was drawing the Milky Way galaxy over black paper and using pencils instead of finger painting. What surprised her more was the amount of detail he was applying to the sketch, using bright colors over the dark paper to give it a small level of glow effect, and using the white pencil to increase the brightness near the center of the sketch.

By the time Toby was done, the teacher admired his work with squinted eyes. There were a few rough edges and a small lack of detail, but it was still amazing how a toddler managed to draw the Milky Way with such accuracy. "Good job, Toby!" She praised, making the quiet toddler smile proudly. "Why did you choose to draw this?"

Toby's smile fell quickly. He didn't want to answer her. He was _scared_ of answering her… But he had to. So, he took a deep breath through his nose, and opened his mouth. "I-I L-l-like a-a-astronomy…" He stammered, lowering his gaze as his hands gripped on his pants. When he hadn't hear her respond, his throat ran dry. Sweat began to form on his forehead as his heartbeats increased. It was happening all over again. They were all going to make fun of him because of his stammering. Just like they did in New York. They were going to make him feel like something was wrong with him. This is why he kept quiet, why he never tried to make conversation. His bottom lip began to quiver as his eyes began to water.

He then felt a gentle hand rest on top of his head. His breath was caught in his throat as he dared to look up. It was his teacher, Mrs. Shrinivas, he learned her name was. She smiled warmly at him, which put him at ease a little bit.

"I think it's very nice." She commented. Toby's hands let go of his pants as his nerves loosened up. She didn't look concerned. He turned his sight to the others; they didn't even notice it about him. He wiped the tears pooling in his eyes before looking back at Mrs. Shrinivas, whom she took her hand off of his head to pin his sketch on the wall. "There. For the whole class to see." She added before looking down at Toby and smile at him.

Toby still had the look of surprise in his eyes. She didn't treat him differently. The other kids, they didn't laugh at him. They were smiling at him as they began to circle him.

"You drew that?" One asked.

"That's so _cool!_ " The other said.

"I wish I could draw that good."

As Toby got swarmed with praising from his fellow classmates, he could only think of one thing.

He was being _accepted._

That thought made him give the brightest smile in his short life.

* * *

Back in Royal Woods' High, Steven was on the break between lunch and the class that follows. He needed a little peace and quiet after Bobby spent the lunch break talking about how cool it was for Steven to come to Royal Woods and shit. Steven didn't mind, but he did mind when Bobby suggested he should join the school's sports team; he didn't need that.

Steven was roaming through one of the isles, which seemed to contain all the novels. The library was located on a separate building right next to the main building, where all the classes are held sans gym class. He wasn't necessarily a bookworm, but Steven does enjoy reading a good book from time to time. He was looking at the titles of some of the novels that were at display. Requiem For A Boy, _too depressing._ Syngenesophobia, _too predictable._ What Is a Person's Worth?, _too Déjà vu._ Apparently, people enjoy this stuff, which made Steven smirk at the irony of it all. Welp, there's nothing interesting t-

"Um, hey…" Called a thin voice timidly.

Steven turned to the source of the voice, only to meet up with a boy about six inches shorter with red curly hair, glasses, and a very overweighed physique. "Y-you're the new kid, right?" He stammered. "Everyone is talking about you."

"Oh, are they?" Steven furrowed his brows as he slowly walked closer to the midget in front of him, suddenly taking interest. "And what are _they_ saying?" He asked, towering above him.

"U-uh, n-n-nothing, heh," He stammered, sweating bullets and audibly gulping down a lump in his throat once he broke into his personal space and stared down into the depths of his soul. "J-just that y-you're picking a bone with that sociopath Teddy…"

"Socio-what now?"

"Sociopath: it means…" The little nerd trailed off. "Never mind, it's not important right now… I need you to help me." He spoke with desperation in his voice.

"Really?" Steven crossed his arms, a girded eyebrow and an unimpressed look on his face. "You need _me_ to help _you?"_

"I've got some libra-"

"Okay, I'm gonna have to stop you right there." Steven interrupted, putting his left hand in the nerd's face. "First off, your problems aren't mine. Second, you lost me the moment you called out for me. And third, why would I ever wanna help _you?"_ He asked, gesturing at the nerd.

"Because… because, uh…" He muttered, thinking of a good reason to convince him. "Um… because we're friends?" He grinned sheepishly, showing braces on his teeth.

Steven wasn't impressed, and the deadpan expression on his face says it. "Yeah, right." He turned on his heel and walked away.

"W-wait!" The nerd called. "Please, I'm desperate!" Steven kept walking. "What if I pay…? I'll pay you five bucks!"

Just like a fighter jet landing on a carrier, Steven stopped dead in his tracks. _Now we're talking._ He turned around and looked back at the nerd. He then crossed his arms and spoke. "What do you need my help with?"

"I-I've got some library books that needs to be returned, but I can't get to my locker without getting picked on…" Was the nerd's answer.

"So, you want me to be your escort." Steven concluded. "And you expect me to do it for just five bucks?"

"Come on, help me out here!" The nerd pleaded, only for them to be shushed by a passing student.

Steven was about to flip said student off, but his conversation with Bobby at lunch returned to his mind. 'Be friendly,' he'd said. 'People aren't as mean as you think they are.' With a sigh, he bowed his head slightly. _Alright, Bobby,_ He thought. _I'll be nice._ "Alright, I'll be your bodyguard," He agreed. "But I want ten." That wasn't a request.

"No… Five bucks…?" He basically whimpered, holding five fingers up. That wasn't a statement either. Steven had him where he wanted now.

"Great," Steven said with a smirk and a nod. He then reached his arm and patted the little nerd's head. "Ten bucks it is. Let's go, _buddy_." And with that, he started walking towards the exit.

Only to stop a step later and turned back at the nerd once again. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Um, it's Albert."

Steven simply nodded and started walking again, Albert following from behind.

* * *

By the time they left the library, Steven thought it'd be best if Albert lead the way towards his locker and tail him a few feet from behind. Now that he had the chance to think about it, _damn, this school is big_. They had a front court, a back court, a separate football field, separate gymnasium, and a separate library. Is this really a public school? Where the fuck did they get all the money for this? The state, he presumed, was actually putting the tax money they take from people into use. I mean the school is so big it makes you feel so small and insignificant, which is alien to Steven, whom used to be in a crowded school, in a _very_ crowded city. It's normal for him to feel that way, he assumed, but still… _damn, this school is big._

"Hey, Stevie!" A girlish voice came from behind. Steven stopped and turned to source of it, which turned out to be the blonde from yesterday, speed walking towards him with a smile on her face. Leni was her name, right?

"Sup?" Was all he said. _Real slick, you moron_ , he scolded himself.

Once she reached him, she stopped and lightly panted to catch her breath, only to look back up moments after. "Like, where were you yesterday? I was wait for, like, an hourrrr!" She whined with a pout that Steven couldn't help but think it was cute.

… Then, he remembered. He promised to go with her to get some clothes. With the fight at the cafeteria and all the bullshit happening after, he completely forgot about her. Poor thing must be thinking he didn't care about her.

"I'm so sorry, it must've slipped out of my mind." He apologized sincerely. "We can go today after school. And if you want, you can buy what you want. My treat." He proposed.

Normally, a chick like Leni would squeal in delight, or so Steven thought. But she just cocked her head to the side with a girded eyebrow. "Are you sure you can afford that?" She asked seriously.

Ah, she's the kind that doesn't hold back… Steven is now regretting his words, but he can't take them back now. "Um, s-sure thing, gurl!" He answered. He's gonna have to draw from his college fund, it seems.

But it was worth it when her face beamed with joy and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. The air forcibly squeezed out of his lungs, but he didn't mind; she was happy. "EEEE, thank you! It's, like, totes gonna be so much fun, I promise!" She beamed, releasing him and started walking away just as Steven was rubbing his sore ribs. "Cya after school~!" She waved off and turned away.

 _How can a girl like that be so strong…?_ He wondered, before a smile took form on his lips. He had to admit, it felt nice. _She_ felt nice. _They_ felt nice too

The smile faltered as he just realized what just happened: A girl just hugged him.

Steven's cheeks began to burn. He could still feel the warmth of her body against his. He could still feel the warmth of her br-

"Hey, Fat Albert!"

Steven was snapped out of his trance when he heard someone calling from across the space between him and the school's main building. He quickly turned to the source of it, only to find poor Albert surrounded by three of what seemed to be the school's baseball team. He recognized one with blonde curly hair under a yellow baseball cap. He's one of Teddy's clique. He was flanked by two others who wore similar clothing. _Shit,_ he mentally cursed and began to speedwalk towards the event happening. _I got so hung up with Leni I completely forgot about Fatty here._ He then wrapped his right palm around his left fist and cracked his knuckles.

Not today, assholes. The bully repellent is in town.

Across the field, Albert was held by the front of his shirt by the group's alpha, Freddy was his name, Steven learned. "Oh, come on," Albert whined. "I did your homework yesterday, just like you asked! What else do you want from me?!"

"You obviously forgot about something, midget." Freddy replied smugly, rubbing his index and thumb together. "You didn't pay for protection."

To avoid getting bullied, Albert was forced to pay them money so they'd leave him alone, as well as doing their homework and other stuff. But the more he kept giving them, they'd come back and demand more. High school hasn't been easy for Albert, thanks to Freddy in particular. "Oh, give me a break man." Albert complained. "I'm not sitting on a treasure!"

"Well, then I guess you're gonna have to tough it out." Freddy snarled, just before driving his fist into Albert's belly. Albert's face twisted in pain as he clutched his stomach and bowed, only to be kicked down from the back after.

Albert crashed to the ground as his glasses fell off. He gasped for air that left his lungs from the vicious blow to his stomach, but that task turned out to be a chore for him. Albert isn't that tolerable to pain, so a simple amount of damage to regular boys his age can be big for him.

The sight of him squirming and groaning in pain caught the attention of other students hanging around. "What you all lookin' at?!" He called out. When no one answered, a smirk took form on his lips. "That's what I thought." He added confidently.

Until he looked back to where fatso was lying down.

Steven stood there, looking down at Albert who was searching for his glasses. Once he found them, he put them on, seeing Steven standing above him. He then reached down and grabbed Albert by the arm, pulling him back to his feet. He took a glance at Albert, before turning his sight into the three bullies that hurt him. "What you lookin' at?" Freddy growled.

"Dunno," Steven answered plainly. "But it's fuckin' _ugly_." He added with a hint of anger in his voice.

That struck a nerve, and the twitching of Freddy's eyebrow proves it. Steven reached his right arm out and gently pushed Albert aside at the same time Freddy stepped forward and cocked his right fist back in preparation for a punch.

Freddy launched his fist towards Steven's face, but Steven managed to raise his left arm, blocking it before connecting. He then proceeded to drive his right fist through his chest, forcing the air out of his lungs and knocking him back off his feet. His wounded knuckles stung a bit, but not to the point they slowed him down. A chorus of _Oh!_ s And _Damn!_ s was heard from the small crowd watching. Some even drew out their phones and recorded the event.

Refusing to stay still, one of Freddy's sidekicks ran towards Steven, swinging his right fist at him but missing wildly as Steven ducked beneath. He then retaliated by smashing his right fist into his stomach, followed by a left hook to the side of his face, which knocked his baseball cap off, and then a solid right hook that brought him down to the ground.

When the other sidekick made his move, Steven swung his right foot up, nailing him directly where the sun never shines. The poor guy held his crotch with his face twisted in agony as a high pitched squeal escaped him while falling down to his knees. That shit hurt like a motherfucker. And it hurt even more when Steven's foot smashed into his side, sending him a few feet away like a pigskin.

Albert, along with a few other students began to cheer Steven on. It's about time someone stands up in their faces and teaches them a lesson. The moment Steven nailed the poor guy between his legs, hands instinctively moved into groins from the sight of impact with a chorus of _ooh!_ s echoed across the yard. As Steven kicked the poor guy away, he had his back to the first sidekick, which was beginning to stand up and sneak up on him from behind. Steven was still occupied with the other one to notice, but Albert wasn't.

"Behind you!" Steven heard someone shout, and took one single glance over his shoulder to realize the fist heading towards him. With a quick duck, the fist flew over his head. He then crouched down, gripped the shins of the assailant, then proceeded to tip him over his shoulder and threw him on his back to the ground in the blink of an eye.

Once Steven made sure the punk was down for good, he turned back to Freddy, whom he still had his arms crossed over his chest as he still tried to bring the air back into his lungs. Steven grabbed him by the front of his shirt with his right arm and pulled him up to his feet, only for him to cock his fist back and smack it to Steven's forehead that did no damage but hurt his fist.

There's an unspoken rule when you fight someone who boxes: Never aim for the face. And for a good reason, too. When you punch a regular person's forehead, they see stars. When you punch a boxer's forehead, they see red.

Freddy wiggled his sore hand to shake off the pain, but when his eyes locked with the heated glare in Steven's eyes, he could feel himself shrinking down in front of him. Steven yanked him closer and cocked his left fist back.

"Not the face, not the face!" Freddy plead in a broken voice of fear as he shielded his face with his hands.

Steven faltered for a moment in confusion. What's up with his voice? He quickly shook it off and prepared to smash his face in. "Nono, please!" He begged with that broken voice of his.

Okay, this is pathetic. Steven doesn't feel like hitting him now, but he still needs to make good of that ten he asked for. He grabbed the front of Freddy's shirt with both hands and yanked him closer into his heated gaze. "If I ever hear that you're harrassin' Albert again, I will _finish_ the job…" He stated darkly, audible gulp came from Freddy before he threw him back. Like a dog that's been kicked, Freddy scurried back before getting up and running away from the embarrassment, leaving his two buddies lying on the ground, beaten and battered.

Once the deed was done, Steven turned to Albert and gestured him to follow, and follow he did. Steven turned around and headed towards the main building, powerwalking through the crowd that separated to give him way.

 _That's right,_ he thought. _Make way for the bully repellant._


	5. 05 Mall Run

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

 **What's up, everyone. Kyle here. At first, I'd like to apologize for taking so long with this chapter. The reasons will be explained at the notes at the bottom of the chapter. But I'm back, and I'm back with a treat for your patience! This chapter will mainly concentrate on character development for Steven, Carol, Leni, and some for Toby.**

 **Big shoutout to my good friend GrandMassaSpectre for letting me use his OC in my story, so be sure to give him some love. Now, I'm not gonna keep stalling, so let's get into this chapter. Enjoy. :)**

* * *

Carol Pingrey is a seventeen-year-old girl with blonde hair curved to the right at the center of her back and crystal-blue eyes that can catch the breath of the harshest men. To go with her stunning beauty, she's one of the nicest girls you could ever meet, which made her be noticed by plenty of guys in school. Much to their disappointment, however, Carol wasn't interested in dating yet, which meant a challenge was launched on who would take her out on her first date. The amount of boys who'd been asking her out on dates had began to push her buttons. Especially this one guy, who just simply wouldn't relent.

Carol has always been told that if she wanted people to be nice her, she needs to be nice to them. And that, she did. She was nice to everyone she met, which made her loved among everyone at school; The students, the staff, even the school security. She didn't consider herself to be a high school queen, but she was as popular as one.

Presently, Carol was walking down the empty hallway, hugging a few books to her chest. She had only two classes left before the school day was over: English and P.E. Once She reached her locker, she entered the combination, _13-24-18,_ And pulled it open. Aside from her school books, Carol had a picture of her family, a signed poster of Boys Will Be Boys taped to the back of the locker, a picture of herself in a dress and a crown on her head, standing at the center of the stage with a sash over her shoulder with the words " **HOMECOMING QUEEN** " printed on it a bouquet of roses in her hands, a silver cross dangling from the roof of the locker, a foldable makeup kit, and, oddly enough, extra clothing folded neatly at the bottom of her locker. 'Always be prepared, sweetie,' her mother used to tell her.

She placed her books on the wooden shelf she built in workshop class and pulled out her English text book, along with a notebook and a pair of white low-top sneakers for P.E. class.

Out of nowhere, her locker was slammed shut, causing her to yelp in surprise. She turned around to see who did it, only to come face-to-face with Mark. AKA, the one who wouldn't give up asking her out. If Carol is honest to herself, which she always is, he would've had a better chance with her if he would just get rid of that stupid blonde Mohawk. I mean, seriously! He looks like a toilet brush! Ew!

"Sup, Carol," He said with a smirk, resting one hand on her locker next to her head with the other tucked in his jeans' pocket. His eyes moved up and down her body. "Lookin' good, today."

"Oh, um, thanks, mark," She replied, taking a quick glance at his arm next to her head and protectively hugged her books closer to her chest. "You too." She complimented. What? A white lie doesn't hurt. _Wink wink_.

"Yeah, I know," He boasted, dusting his Royal Woods sports jacket proudly. "So anyway," He looked back at her. "They got a two-for-one offer at the mini-gulf course on Raven's avenue. What do you say we go there and _score_ some holes, huh?" The way he said that last sentence made Carol _slightly_ uncomfortable.

"Oh, well, I'd like to, but I already told you I'm not interested in dating." She politely declined and began to walk away, only for Mark to scoot over and block her way again.

"C'mon, Carol," he insisted, "It'll be fun! Just you and me, two bats, and eighteen different obstacles~" He offered, pretending to be swinging a golf bat.

"And again, Mark, I'm not interested. Now, excuse me, I gotta go." She said and turned to leave.

Only for a hand to shoot out and firmly grip her wrist.

"C'mon, Carol," He insisted, pulling her back to him by the wrist, a hint of hostility in his voice. "Why do you keep turning me down?"

Carol moved her arm a bit, glancing nervously around, making sure she wouldn't make a scene before looking back at Mark. "Let me go," She spoke quietly.

"Are you seeing someone in secret?" He asked with an accusatory tone in his voice.

Carol began to tug her wrist free from his grip, only for him to grip it tighter. "You're hurting me, Mark…" She complained, suddenly feeling two inches tall and him towering above her like a mountain. Carol isn't a coward, but Mark was scaring her right now.

"I bet you like it when _he_ does it to you, don't you?" He accused. "That's why you turn down everyone. Acting all Ms. Goody-two-shoes when you're nothing more but a secret slut."

Those words cut her deeply, and the corners of her lips began to lower as her eyes began to gloss and her brows began to take a V shape in anger. "You're no better, Mark," She retorted with venom in her voice. "I know how you look at girls, but you never make the move, because you're too scared to meet rejection." Carol knew she was getting under his skin when she saw the smug look on his face turn into a scowl of indignation. "You call me a slut, when you're nothing but a puny little _pervert_ who only acts tough to try - and fails - at getting atten-"

Carol's rant was cut short by Mark's other hand grabbing her by the throat and pinning her back against her locker with a yelp of surprise from Carol. And just like that, she was back to feeling two inches tall again. She dropped her sneakers and held her books closer to her chest protectively as he leaned closer and spoke in a whisper full of venom. "Keep talking," threatened. "and see what happens…"

He then released her throat and held her chin with the same hand, forcing her to look at him. "You think you can fool everyone by acting all Mrs. Goody-two-shoes, but let's see how that works when the whole school finds out you're actually Mrs. Titanic-sinker." He released her chin and stormed off without a word, and Carol released a breath she didn't know she was holding when he left her line of sight.

Just then, she remembered all the harsh names he called her, and her bottom lip quivered. And the tears came after.

She wasn't seeing anyone in secret. Why wouldn't he believe her? Why did he have to such a jerk about it? Was not dating wrong? She didn't think so. She wanted a bright future; wanted to get in a good college and have a successful career. And to do that, she reasoned that romance could wait until she achieved her goal.

She grabbed her sneakers from the ground and took quick steps to the place where she can be alone in peace: The little girl's restroom. Good thing it was only twenty feet away, where she walked in, got into a stool, and wept in silence. She didn't know how long she sat there crying silently, but when she was done, she washed her face, returned to her locker and grabbed her foldable makeup kit. She was getting her eyelashes realigned while listening to _What Makes You Beautiful,_ by _One Direction_.

 _Bzzt, bzzt._

Her music were interrupted by the telltale _Ba-ding~!_ of a new message. She sat the brush down and fetched her phone to see who was it from. It was Dana. **OMG CAROL! UR CUZ IS A BADASS!1** The text said, accompanied with a SnapTube link. Carol furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she tapped the link. _Bullies Gettin' Karma'd_ was the video's title. _Ooh, bullies getting what's coming to them_ , she thought to herself. _I hope it's Mark getting his share of Karma._ Okay, she knew it wasn't him, but hey, a girl can dream, right? She pressed 'play'…

And a video of her cousin, Steven, beating the crap out of Freddy and two of his friends began to play. The longer the video played, the lower her jaw dropped. One time, she saw Freddy and his goons beat the crap out of a guy just because he looked at him wrong, and everyone made sure they never bother him. Yet, here's Steven, putting him down in a three-on-one fist fight, _and_ winning. She reached the part where Steven pulled Freddy up by the shirt, only to receive a punch in the forehead. Carol gasped, concerned that he might've been hurt, but much to her surprise, Steven wasn't faded the slightest. In fact, he looked angry. The camera that recorded the event gave a clear angle that shows the angry glare Steven had on Freddy, and Carol would be lying if she wasn't slightly frightened from it. She watched Steven cock his fist back to pummel Freddy's face and Carol closed her eyes to unsee the carnage…

but she quickly reopened them when she heard Freddy's broken voice pleading for mercy. She saw Steven's glare falter for a moment before shaking his head, and Freddy's voice was heard a second time and she couldn't hold back a giggle. Steven mumbled something inaudible and tossed Freddy back once he was done and Freddy ran away. The camera turned around to show Dana's face stuck in a surprised expression, then the video ended.

Carol lowered the phone and thought about what she saw. She didn't know how she was suppose to feel about this. Steven promised to not get into too much fights, so she was mad that he got into one. She was also surprised to know that Steven had beaten down three guys on his own without breaking a sweat _with_ an injured right hand too. She was also glad to know that he wasn't ruthless when he refused to finish off Freddy… But most importantly, she was worried. Worried that this might get him into more trouble.

And worried that Teddy might set his sight on Steven for beating up his little brother.

She also felt this strange warmth in her heart…

* * *

"Okay, we're here." Albert said as he faced a locker on the hallway near auditorium. Steven stood on the other wall, leaning against the lockers as he held his right hand up and rubbed it. It wasn't bleeding, but his wounds were bothering him. He might need to go see the nurse again. Still, it was worth it; that punk will need to think twice before he picks on this chubba-bubba again. Still, there's one thing left to do.

"Alright," Steven started, leaving the wall and made his way across to Albert. "I did my part of the deal. now, you do yours." He held his good hand out, palm facing up.

"Huh? O-oh, right, sorry." Albert grabbed the books he wanted with one hand, reached into his hip pocket with the other and drew out a 10$ bill, then handed it to Steven. "Thanks a lot, buddy. I'll tell mom not everyone in school is a jerk." He closed his locker and with that, he left.

Steven could hear the 'Mission Passed' theme from _Car Thief 3_ in his head now. Car Thief 3 is a game that came out in 2004, where you can be this black dude who steals cars, kills people, fuck bitches and all that. It's an awesome game, even after thirteen years of its release date. Steven turned on his heel and went the opposite way as the bell finally rung. He had History class and P.E. left before he can leave school. History… Yay…

* * *

If there's something I hate, it would be history class. I _hate_ that motherfucker. Not today, though. Today's history lesson was interesting to, for once. We were talking about a novel called _Reeling In The Years_ , by some dude named _Flagg_. The novel itself is pretty good, and very emotional too. It was about a family of two parents, four sisters, and two brothers living in the timeframe of the Vietnam war. Dark times, I know. But I can't get over the fact a dude named _Flagg_ made this shit. Seriously, what kind of life this dude had with a name like that? Did they tie him up by the arms to a pole and watch him flop against the wind? I bet he's a white Flagg, too. Pfft, that'd be hilarious. You probably think I'm an asshat for making fun of a great writer like him, but to be completely honest with you, I don't care how important this novel is to modern history, I can't take someone named _Flagg_ seriously. Looking into his other works, this dude seems like he enjoys writing stories about this boy who has a harem of his own _sisters!_ And what's with the sequels? He kinda reminds me of Boys Will Be Boys; they were fun and exciting when they first started, but now they're just obnoxious and should've probably stayed in Canada, you feel me?

 _Psst._

Steven's mental ramble was cut short by the sound of whispering coming from his left side. He broke the blank stare on the pages and glanced over at his left. A girl with curly brown hair spilled around her pretty head and stopped a few inches beneath her shoulders. She wore a lavender sleeveless dress that exposed the milky white, soft skin of her arms and stopped a few inches above her knees. She wore lavender makeup on her eyelids that matched her dress and, was she wearing lipstick? He couldn't tell, but her lips were so pink, so soft, so… _kissable._ She leaned closer a bit, and Steven could smell her perfume. It smelled nice. "You're the one that gave Freddy a beating, right?" She whispered.

"Who's asking?" Steven whispered back. He recognized her as one of Carol's friends from lunch.

"His Ex." Was her answer, a smirk took form on her lips as she rested her elbow on her desk and her chin on her upward palm. "My name is Hazel," she spoke with a smooth, husky voice, audible enough to be heard by Steven only. "But you can call me Hazy~" The way she said it, man…

"Steven." He whispered back. He then turned around in his seat to face her, and not to check her out. Nope, definitely not to check her out. "I hope you're not mad at me for puttin' hands on him."

"Oh no," She said with a dismissive wave of her delicate hand. "He totes had it coming." She then lowered her hand and wrapped one leg around the other, the smooth skin of her thighs squishing together. Not to mention the dreamy look on her eyes. "Are you busy today~?"

Well, as much as he wanted to say no, he _did_ promise Leni to let her help him fix his wardrobe. "Yeah, I am, actually."

She merely nodded, the smirk never leaving her face. She looked down at her desk and grabbed her pen, then quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper. She leaned across and placed it on his desk. As she leaned, however, Steven had a perfect view of the cleavage between the perfectly rounded spheres that held all a man's dreams and hopes on her chest. "Call me when you are… I'll keep you _busy~_ " She finished with a sultry giggle escaping her nose before looking back forward.

Suddenly, Steven's shirt collar became tight. He swallowed a lump in his throat as his cheeks began to burn. Can you blame him? This is the first time a hot babe flirts with him.

She could feel his eyes caressing her body, and she approved. She liked it when they get so flustered like this. She decided to give him more eye candy by putting her hair behind her ear, exposing the smooth curves of her throat with a silver necklace wrapped around her collarbone, the locket of it resting at the swell of her bust. From the corner of her eye, she spotted him licking his dry lips and it took a lot of her not to giggle. She likes them shy, you know. And her managing to get him riled up so easily was just too much fun.

Sadly, though, her fun was interrupted. "Mr. Wade!" Came the teacher's voice. Steven flinched in his seat and quickly turned his ass around to look at the teacher. "Is there something else you see more interesting than class?" He asked.

"N-no, sir," Steven answered. "I was just daydreaming about the nineteen-fifties, is all. Dark times, you know?"

The teacher kept his glare fixed on Steven before nodding in agreement. "Dark times indeed, Mr. Wade. But I would appreciate you keep your focus on me. Now…" And with that, the teacher continued the lesson.

* * *

By time it was 3:15, classes were over and the students were leaving, some in groups towards the parking lot, others towards the buses, and others choosing to walk home. Steven was standing near the front gates of the school's premises, his phone in his hands, typing away with his thumbs.

 **Steve) Aye, I'm at the front gates.**

 **Steve) Where R U?**

There wasn't anything for a few moments before Leni started typing.

 **With Carol (Leni**

 **OUW ^u^ (Leni**

 **Steve) Ight**

And with that, Steven locked his phone and tucked back in his pocket.

Only to draw it back out a moment after because he can't draw it out without checking his social media. He surfed through the posts and memes on his feed, only to stop at a selfie of his friend, Huxley, with a foot long hotdog with the hashtag '#Numbaseven'.

Steven smirked at the post, liked it, then commented 'Shouldn't you be on a diet?' with a smirk emoji. He went on scrolling, and stopped again when he saw the UN's official page's post about the 'incest legalization' matter that's been going on recently. Steven wasn't sure how he should feel about this. Some people did call it a sin, but they also called gay marriage a sin too. The main issue of this is the child that comes from such union, but if artificially conceiving a child is a thing, is it that hard to think they could fix the broken DNA?

While Steven was occupying himself, a group of feet were speedwalking towards the front gates, one of them belonged to a _very_ angry Teddy who had his sight locked on the punk who got his brother beat. Once the footsteps were audible, Steven looked up from his phone, only to see Teddy and his group, as well as Freddy alongside him.

 _Smells like trouble,_ Steven sighed, tucked his phone back into his pocket, and turned to Teddy.

"You think you can come in here and put your hands on my brother?!" Teddy snapped, his face twisted in and angry grimace as he walked. "Fuck you! This is my school!" He then stood face-to-face with Steven.

"Motherfucker, you can keep your school. And your brother asked for it when he put hands on my friend." He retorted, looking over Teddy's shoulder at the culprit, back back into Teddy's eyes, unfazed by the angry glare. "Anyway, why are you even talkin' to me? Either throw yo hands, or step the fuck aside, bitch!" He spat the last word into his face, and a crowd of students gathered around them.

"If you're so tough," Teddy poked Steven's chest roughly. "then fight me! In a ring!" Everyone's eyebrows rose at that. Big battle feel, you know.

"Man, fuck the ring," Steven retorted with a taunting smirk. "We can do this right now!" He then shoved Teddy back. "Bitch ass punk!"

Teddy staggered back by the shove, but quickly held himself and shoved Steven back in return. The crowd, being the group of idiots they are, decided to cheer them on to fight, but before it could get messy, Teddy's friends, along with some guys who had some sense held them back from throwing fists at each other.

As Steven was being pushed away from Teddy, colorful language came from his mouth that took a few students by surprise. Carol's car just parked across the street and she, accompanied by Leni, got out to see what's happening.

"...Yo fuckin' hands off me, bitches!" Steven shoved the two students that held him back away, nearly dropping them on their asses. He wasn't interested in going after Teddy anymore, so he just patted the wrinkles off his shirt and turned around, only to come face-to-face with the rare angry gaze of Carol. Steven's went wide in an 'Oh, shit' manner. Leni kept quiet as she felt the tension; angry Carol is _totes_ scary.

Carol tapped her foot against the sidewalk, her arms crossed and her eyebrows knitted in an angry V. "Well?" She started. "Are you going to explain yourself?" She crooked her head slightly to the side.

"Aye, he came to me outta nowhere, you can't put dat on me." He pointed his thumb back at the front gates.

"Because you hit his little brother!" Carol snapped with an angry stomp. But she couldn't stay mad for a whole minute if she tried. And just like that, she went from angry to concerned. "If you keep doing this, you're gonna end up in trouble, or worse, you could end up getting hurt!"

"Or end up getting hurt while being in trouble!" Leni chimed in.

"You need to stop picking fights with people, Stevie," She demanded, taking his hand in hers. "Promise you will."

Steven felt slightly touched by her concern. Not many people worry about him like that. But he can't make that promise. "Look, Carol," he sighed, "it's not like I wanna pick bones with every bully in here. I'm not like that. I only give people what's comin' to 'em. They wanna start trouble wit me, they gon' get they hands full. I-" he cut himself off when Carol pulled out her secret weapon: The sad puppy eyes. "Oh, c'mon, Carol!" He grimaced, the cuteness blinding him. "Really now? The puppy eyes?"

"I dun want chu to gets hurt." She muttered cutely, her bottom lip poking out in a pout, quivering.

They say that a man's biggest weakness is women. Well, it can't be more true than now. I mean seriously! How can I say no when she be lookin' at me like that?! "Okay, fine, you win." He complied, head hanging in defeat. "I won't fight anyone unless it's self-defense," He added quickly.

Carol's face brightened and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. "That's all I'm asking for, Stevie." She then released him and grabbed his wrist. "C'mon, now," she started, "Let's go get you a new wardrobe!"

* * *

School was out, and little Toby stood at the front of the school, looking around for his ride home. Auntie Claire said she'll come pick him up, but she was nowhere to be found. Did she forget about him? Nah, she's just late. Yeah, that's it. No way she'd forget about him…

But what if she did…? What if she never came and he had to stand here all day? What if Steven forgets about him too and he'll have to get home by himself but ends up getting lost and lives in the street and eats food from garbage and wear tacky clothes and can't have his tablet anymore or play games with Co-

"Ahem!"

Toby's head whipped back to the source of the sound he just heard. Before him was a girl with short brown hair, big glasses, and a green turtleneck sweater, and an emotionless expression. Lisa, he learned her name was. And she was super smart too! Although she spits when she talks… Lisp, is what Mrs. Shrinivas called it. Or was it lesp? "I beg your pardon, classmate," She spoke with a lesp that sprinkled, "But it appears that you have forgotten to collect your specimen from our art segment. Which I must compliment you for the level of detail you've implied for a simple-minded human." She offered him the drawing he made of the Milky Way.

"O-oh. T-t-thanks." He said, taking it from the girl with big glasses. "M-m-my name i-is T-T-T-"

"Toby," She chimed in, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I know."

Toby's brows furrowed a little; he didn't like how she cut him off. When he opened his mouth to address her about it, a honk of a horn, along with the rumble of an engine corroded by time interrupted him. Their heads turned to the source: a blue van, covered in rust, dirt, scratches and dents. Toby raised an eyebrow in confusion at the sight; how is this thing still running?

"I beg your pardon, my transport has arrived." And with that, she left, and Toby was alone again. Toby walked to the curb of the sidewalk, dropped his backpack next to him and sat down. Normally, he'd have his tablet to entertain himself with right now, but Auntie Claire said that he can't take it with him for some reason.

That's okay, though. It's not like he can't spend some time away from his tablet. Yeah, it's not like he's addicted to tach… tuch… That word they use with computers and stuff. Oh, no. Toby's _not_ addicted to it.

…

I really wish I had my tablet right now…

* * *

Royal Woods mall. A place where all the family can go to buy whatever they need. From clothes, to toys, to computer accessories, to makeup, to clowning equipment, to sports gear, to all things chemistry; you name it. Flanked by Carol on his left and Leni on his right, Steven walked through the main entrance, and the cold air refreshed him from the burning sun outside. Must be forty-five degrees out there. The moment they walked in, though, nearly every employee who worked there stopped what they were doing and greeted Leni. _Wow,_ Steven thought, _She must be spending a lot of time in here._ And that only made him dread the bill he'll pay for her shopping. Steven wasn't low on paper in any way, he just didn't like to spend all his money. Still, if it's gonna make that blonde cinnamon roll happy, he'll do it. He didn't know why, but there's something about her that's so precious he can't even deny a request from her. Call him weak, but if he ever had weaknesses, They'd be Carol, his mother, and possibly Leni by now.

Steven removed his cap and scratched his brown hair. "Where are we going first?" He asked, putting the cap back on.

"The department store, of course," They both answered.

Aw, man, I _hate_ department stores! My mom used to take me there and spend _hours_ looking for shit and eventually goes back to the first thing she picks! Granted, they do have some nice things in there, I buy my caps and jackets from department stores but still, it's so big and full you have to at least spend an hour to find what you're looking for, and then another hour to try it on! Look, I'm not saying I don't like to wear nice clothes. Who doesn't want to? But I also don't like to spend so much time looking around trying to find the perfect pairs of clothing. _Oh, no, this belt isn't the exact same shade of orange as the brand tag on my trousers. I gotta go back and search._ Yeah, right, you'll never catch me dead being that shallow.

Steven slowed down a little and began to look around at the shops; jewelry stores flanking one quarter of the first floor, a Hamley's filling an entire quarter on the other side, cell phone stores flanking the side near the escalators, and then there was the department store on the other side of the escalators.

Steven's brows furrowed and he stopped. _Something's not right,_ he thought. He quickly whipped his head back and scanned the perimeter with his eyes; random people walking around, some people sitting on the benches placed around the fountain, and the occasional appearance of a mall cop on a sigway. Nothing out of the ordinary. But one thing caught his attention. A man, sitting alone on the bench facing the department store with a heavy raincoat and a newspaper covering his face. If there's one thing Steven learned from his life in New York, it's that you're _never_ too careful. He wasn't sure, but that man seemed to follow him for some reason.

Just when Steven took the first step towards the stranger to confront him though, Leni called for him. "Stevie, what are you doing? You're totes wasting shopping time!" She then came over, took his hand, and dragged him towards the department store.

"But-"

"No butts," She pressed a delicate fingertip against his lips to shush him with a firm face expression that looked cute in Steven's eyes before returning to her warm smiley face. "We're here to get you new clothes, and that's, like, totes what we're gonna do. Now come on, I saw a few shirts that would totes look good on you!" And with that, she grabbed his arm and dragged him in.

* * *

As they entered the store, they were greeted by the comforting piano music played by some dude in a tuxedo named Chet. Leni and Carol greeted him and he responded with a friendly smile and a nod while his hands were busy with the instrument. The department store décor was different from what you see in normal department stores in New York. Instead of the bright white lighting and cold ceramic floor, you got grey carpet on the floor and dim yellow lights. Not too bright, but bright enough to see clearly. The walls were covered in carpets too with a wood pillar every few meters. There were booths where dressed mannequins were put on display at the front of the store. The racks weren't pressed closely together, but slightly far apart so people can roam comfortably around them. And the smell of new clothes that Steven oh so hates wasn't there. Instead, there was air fresheners, which made Steven very comfortable already. _Maybe this isn't gonna be so bad,_ he thought.

"Leni, Carol, my darlings~!" A flamboyant voice called out with a British accent. Steven turned his to the direction the voice came from and spotted a thin man, fashionably dressed walking towards them with a strut you see in a model on the runway.

"Morris!" Both girls chirped happily. He gave both of them a hug with a peck on each cheek.

"Like, thank _God_ you're here! If I had to deal with one more bedraggled savage, I was this close to dying." He said haughtily, making an 'ok' sign with his hand while rolling his eyes. "If only there were more customers with your senses of fashion."

Both girls giggled at the compliment. "Oh, Morris… This is Steven," Carol spoke and gestured at him, "my cousin from New York."

"Good lookin'." Steven greeted, adjusting his cap with a nod.

With experienced eyes, the clothing matchmaker looked up and down Steven's body while tapping his chin with his fingertip. Then a smirk took form on his lips. "Well, hello there, handsome~" He greeted. "You know, we had just received a shipment of clothing for the athletic kind that I'm sure will look fabulous on you!" And with that, a montage of Steven in different clothing starts.

* * *

As the three teens went with the clothes matchmaker, trying clothes for Steven, three sets of eyes were watching them closely from behind a rack, where bras of all designs were hanging. "Here they are." A childish voice spoke.

"I see 'em." A slightly deeper one responded.

"Guys, aren't we slightly invading Leni's privacy right now?" A third one asked. Behind the rack were three kids: One with dark skin, glasses and a small afro. The other one had similar dark skin, black dreads standing straight like an order of burned fries and a blue bandana wrapped around his forehead. The third one had white skin, wore an orange polo shirt with an overbite, freckled cheeks, and a head full of white hair in a massive cowlick.

"Shut up, Clyde," The boy with the dreads retorted. "I already let one punk hurt Leni, I ain't gon' let it happen again. If he so much as make a move on her, imma-"

"You do realize he's bigger and stronger than you, right, T.K?" The boy with white hair noted with an unamused look. Lincoln liked T.K a lot. But sometimes, he does bite more than he can chew with his macho bravado. "Anyways, we're not here to pick fights with Leni's dates, we're here to make sure she's okay."

"Jus, sayin', cuz." T.K scoffed. "I still remember d'last time Leni went on a date…"

"Poor Leni." Clyde said, shaking his head at the memory.

That much was true. A few months ago, Leni was so excited that she was having a date with some asshole named Freddy, who took her to a house party. The bastard tried to get Leni to drink alcohol, so much to the point he tried to force her. If it weren't for Lincoln and T.K interfering, who knows what would've happened. Poor Leni was so devastated by the incident it took Lori a week just to get her to talk to her.

Presently, the trio watched as Steven and Carol chatted on one side while Leni and Morris were picking clothes for the former. "But if you ask me," Lincoln started, "he looks like a really nice guy."

"They all look like nice guys at first, cus." T.K replied. "Can't be too carefully 'round these snakes." He added with a squint of his eyes.

"I guess…" Clyde muttered. Steven suddenly looked in their direction with furrowed brows as the three quickly went out of sight.

Steven was almost sure someone was watching him now. He needed to lure them out somehow. "Steven…? Hello, earth to Steven, do you copy?" Carol jokes with a smirk, but quickly scowled when she received no response. "Steven!"

Steven jerked and whipped his head to look at her. "Wh-what?! You nearly made me piss myself!" He complained.

"Maybe I won't do that if you stop zoning out." She retorted, putting one hand on her hip. "What were you looking at anyway?" She turned her sight to where he was looking, and realized what he was looking at.

A rack of bras.

Carol's lips curved into a devious smirk at the revelation. She knew Steven wasn't a pervert. In fact, she remembers a time she once kissed him on the cheek after giving her his ice cream cone when she dropped hers as children. He was so flustered from it his face turned red as a tomato. She never told him, but he looked so adorable when he's flustered, so shhh! ;)

She turned back to him with a sly smirk. "Wow, steven," She started, "I knew you always at the beauty within, but I didn't expect you to look for _that_ beauty~"

A blush appeared on Steven's cheeks at her statement. "Wh-wh-what?" He stammered. "N-no, I was jus-" Carol placed her fingertip on his lips to silence him.

"Shhh~" She hushed, resting her other hand on his chest as she leaned into his ear. "How about we play a game~?" She proposed.

Steven swallowed around a lump in his throat as he felt her soft lips against his ear. "Wh-wh-what game?" He asked.

Carol pulled her head back so it doesn't look weird, and she nearly broke her act when she saw his eyes wide open in shock and reddened cheeks. Gosh, he's _adorable!_ "You pick a bra for me, and if you guess my cup size right…" She trailed off, leaning back into his ear. "I'll wear it for you~"

Steven's heart raced, his brain was close to crashing from the thought of her wearing a bra of his choosing for him. The thought of her in her underwear, posing for him and asking how she looks made his knees slightly weak, and, like a Nazi saluting Hitler, his pants felt a little tighter than usual. _Get down, you German fuck,_ He scolded his disobeying genitals, _She's my cousin!_

Before he could respond though, Carol took him by the arm and dragged him to the rack. She wasn't planning on going this far, but she was having too much fun to care. They stopped before the rack, bras of all sizes and colors with different designs were in front of them. "Go on," She lured, "You can have three guesses~" She giggled playfully. _God, he's cute,_ She thought, biting her lower lip.

For Steven, it was the complete opposite. He was so flustered and embarrassed from the thought of Carol topless that he began to consider himself a pervert… Then again, he never really took time to think about it. This morning, he walked up on Cassandra changing in the bathroom. The girl didn't yell, she only stared with wide open eyes and reddened cheeks. He got so flustered he fell down and crawled his way out apologizing. That's the problem with Steven: He didn't know how to act around a woman. Ever since he could remember, he gets flustered with wonderful girls speak to him. With Carol, though, he always acted natural around her. He always considered her his best friend and nothing beyond. And if he's true to himself (And he always is), it seems that Carol sees him as more. Hmm. Yup, that's gotta be it.

His heart warmed up at the thought. And he would've smiled at the thought if he weren't facing a rack full of bras. He collected some will and reached out, grabbing a pink one with white trimming and a white ribbon between the pads, and handing it to Carol.

Carol took it from him, inspected the size label which read 'D cups', and returned it. "Too big." Carol was a little upset when she said that. She kind of wanted a bigger rack, but she'll have to wait for them to grow. Sigh.

Steven returned it and, less jittery, grabbed a black one with sheer fabric and string laces. He offered it to her, her inspecting the cup size (Which was also too big), and returned it to him.

Steven grew frustrated from the two misses. He only had one shot to pull it off. To be honest, though, he had no idea which is more ridiculous: his determination to guess right, or the fact he wants to his cousin's bare chest. He grabbed a purple one, it was a simple one with no shoulder straps. "This better be it." He handed it to her.

"Or what?" She retorted with a teasing smirk. "Gonna rip my blouse open~?" She giggled and inspected the size label as Steven tried to make a retort, but only wound up flustered. And indeed it was her cup size. "Guess you won't need to after all~" She took his hand and lead him to the changing booths.

* * *

Steven stood by one of the small cabinets where the customers use to try the clothes they want to buy. He was confused; He wasn't sure if he should be excited to see a girl topless (He's seventeen, for crying out loud, his body is full of hormones), or weirded out that his cousin was showing him what a bra he chose for her would look like on her. It confused him a lot. Was it wrong? He didn't know. I mean, cousins are legal, so…

His Yankee senses tingled him again and he looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, except for three mannequins the size of preteens that looked remarkably real. He knew he was being watched, but he didn't know by who.

Before he could dwell on it more, however, Carol's voice came from the other side of the door. "Steven?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Th-the door is unlocked," She notified, "you can come in."

 _Okay,_ he thought, _here goes._ He opened the door to the changing room and entered, closing it after him. Carol stood behind the door as he closed it, inches away from where Steven. The cabinet was probably a square meter of space. He looked up at her and saw her hugging the purple sweater she wore over her white blouse to cover herself, her cheeks tinged with pink and her shoulders bare. Steven's heart raced and he felt his cheeks heat up again. She was _so_ beautiful. Why didn't her notice her before?

For Carol, it was the same thing. She wasn't so sure about going along with this. Part of her wanted to chicken out, but another part did want him to see her bare. She didn't know why, but the way he looked at her made her feel… Pretty. And she _liked_ feeling that way. Taking a deep breath, she lowered the sweater, her cheeks burning as she lowered her eyes shyly and hugged her sweater tightly to her belly. She could feel his eyes on her, and resisted the urge to fidget with her feet.

Steven audibly gulped as he laid eyes on the bra he chose. Her breasts weren't that big, but that's okay. They were still a sight to behold. The bra itself wasn't too big, nor too small. Her breasts fitted snugly in them, and they looked good in them. He could only imagine what they would look like without the bra, though. His blush extended across his nose at the thought and his little Nazi friend was trying hard to salute. He quickly looked away and scratched the back of his head. "W-wow…" was all he could say.

"Yeah…" She replied. "They're small, I know… I kind of hate them…" She did. The fact that Cassandra's cup size was a few numbers back kind of bothered her. Mom always told her she's just a late bloomer, but she was scared she'd grow up to be a flatty.

Steven wasn't sure, but it seems like Carol was insecure about her boobs… In all honesty, he didn't know how to go with this, but he had to try. "I, uh, _ahem_ , I… think they're nice…"

She looked up at him with wide eyes and he winced, not daring to look back at her. _Oh, no,_ he thought, _I said the wrong thing, didn't I? She's gonna think I'm some sort of pervert now, ain't she? Nice work, Steven, you just shunted the one girl who actually likes you._

It seems like Carol felt his stress, because she took it as a compliment. "Thank you." She beamed, her cheeks still tinged with pink. Steven jerked his head towards her, surprised, and their eyes met. Steven tried to look away, but he was trapped gazing into those beautiful crystal blue eyes of hers. His heart began to beat faster, and he could faintly see her chest twitching from her heartbeats too. His eyes moved up to her pink, soft lips, and swallowed down saliva that he was about to drool. His body was moving on its own at this point. He took a step forward and leaned closer, he was inches away from her, but could clearly feel the warmth emitting from her body. She was two inches taller than him, so he didn't need to tiptoe to reach. That would be _humiliating._

Carol kept gazing into his black eyes. They were soft, comforting and familiar. She also saw hurt, sadness, pain and so much fear in them that it made her want to hug him tight and make all of that go away. When he stepped forward, she didn't move. Her heart began to race as he leaned closer to her. Was he going to kiss her?! Carol tried to move away, but her body wouldn't do as her brain says. Her heart was in control, and it said to go for it. Inches apart, her lips parted slightly, and she felt the warm pants coming from is parted lips and the fog in her brain thickened. Her eyelids lowered slightly as his eyes filled her vision. She couldn't deny if she tried; she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to have her first kiss with him and she was completely fine with that.

 **Knock! knock! knock!**

They both flinched from the knocks on the door with Carol giving a girlish yelp. "Carol?" Leni called. "Are you in there? Like, I finished choosing clothes for Steven and I can't find him anywhere."

Carol grabbed her blouse from over the stool in the room and quickly began to wear it. Steven pressed his finger at his lips, instructing her to say he isn't here. It'll be hard to explain why he was with Carol alone in a changing room. Carol gave an unamused look, as if She was offended. "Y-yeah, I'm here. I'll be out in a minute!" She looked at Steven once more as she heard footsteps moving away, and they both stifled a laugh. "Sorry about that, Stevie." She apologized.

"Me too." He replied. He knew she wasn't apologizing about the interruption, but that's okay. Maybe that wouldn't have been a smart move.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, the trio had finally left the department store with Steven carrying three bags full of clothes and Carol carrying one with the bra he chose for her. Leni politely refused to buy something at first, saying she didn't want to make him pay more, but Steven insisted that she did. So, she went and bought an aquamarine shoulderless sweater with flowers printed all over it and a pair of tight blue jeans with a flower design on the left thigh and rear pockets. He paid a total of 200$. It wasn't all bad, though. He was glad he always carries extra cash around. Who knows? You might wanna buy something real quick.

Presently, Steven was wearing a pair of red tennis shoes, black track pants with wide red stripes on the side, and a red T-shirt with **Your workout is my warmup** in black on the front, and a figure of a man bench lifting weights on the back. Leni decided to remove his cap, saying 'it's, like, too New York for Royal Woods', whatever that meant. Still, he approved the new clothes she chose. Well, most of it, anyway.

Steven felt his stomach gape in hunger, and he had to fill it or else he gets grumpy. "Aye, girls," He called, capturing their attention, "How about we go grab sumthin' to eat before we split?"

"Yeah, I'm a little hungry myself." Carol rubbed her tummy. "Leni?"

"Oh, I'm just thirsty, but sure!" She beamed happily. "I heard about this coffee shop that just, like, opened on the second floor. It's called _The Milky Way!"_

Carol scoffed. "That's a weird name for a coffee shop."

"Lori told me that they serve, like, the best drinks in town," Leni said, "let's go try it!" She chirruped, giddily fisting her palms to her chest and looking at both of them.

"Sure," Steven shrugged, "Why not?"

"I guess we could try it." Carol agreed.

" _Yay~!_ " Leni clapped her hands happily before taking theirs and leading them to said coffee shop.

Steven couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. That is, until Steven's stalker alert started beeping again. And he quickly looked back, finding three kids sitting together on a bench, reading a newspaper. Hmm…

* * *

"Sooo… This is it, huh?" Steven asked, staring at the shop Leni talked about. It had a big light sign shaped like The Milky Way galaxy, along with the shop's name beneath it in black neon letters. The front windows were completely blacked out, dark blue rectangular pillars separating each pair of windows from each other. Three steps lead up to the shop's entrance with a light projector shining the colors red, yellow and green in trippy patterns, imitating the afterglow of the Big Bang.

"Yep!" She beamed. "Lori said this place totes serves the best drinks in town!"

"Funny, I've never heard of it before." Carol commented.

"looks pretty lit for a coffee shop." Steven spoke blankly, prompting the girls to laugh at the pun. "What?" He asked, looking confused. "What I say?" Getting no response, he shrugged and walked ahead of them into The Milky Way.

The inside was even better than the outside. The lighting was dim and dark blue to simulate the vacuum of space, except for the lighting coming from the red, white, and blue spheres of light that are hanging from the ceiling. In the center of the ceiling was the solar system, the planets and the asteroid belt actually moving too. Booths flanking the left side of the coffee shop from the from the entrance all the way to the bathrooms. The tables were scattered around, one beneath each star, and _Shine Supernova_ by _Cody Simpson_ was playing dimly from the speakers fitted on the black velvet wall panels dotted white by light projectors. The trio watched in awe at the wonderful décor and space theme. "Wow…" Carol said in awe.

"Wow is right, luv!" An energetic voice spoke and they looked ahead. Before them was a woman in her twenties, black hair wrapped back in a ponytail and wore a dark blue cap that matches her t-shirt and waist apron, black pants, and a very healthy physique. "Table fo' three?" And she's British too? Neat!

"Um, yes please." Steven answered.

"Lovely. Right this way, luvs." She offered with a warm smile and lead them to a table beneath a blue star that was abnormally oval. She then held a small tablet in her hand and looked at them as they picked up their menus.

"What do you girls want?" Steven asked, reading the names of orders on one side of the page and, kindly enough, a quick description of what the order is on the other end, followed by the price. The other page had the meals.

"I'll have a Supernova in the mouth, please," Carol ordered. It said in the description it was a slushy cocktail of Grapefruit, apple, and orange. Strange combo in a slushy, but she'd give it a try. "And a plate of Mediterranean Salad." She finished, the barista tapping the orders on her tablet.

"I'll have a Cat's eye Nebula, please." Leni ordered. It said this was a chocolate and mint smoothie with crumbled vanilla biscuits on top. Yummy!

"Uh, lemme get a Vela Pulsar pound and a Chicken Cobb Sandwich, please." Steven ordered. The Vela Pulsar Pound is a cocktail of Watermelon, peaches, apple, Papaya, and muskmelon smoothie with strawberry cubes inside.

The barista tapped the order on the tablet, then sent it to the cook with a _swoosh_. "Anything else, chaps?"

"Just water, please. Flat." Steven added. The barista nodded and with that, she walked towards a table where a couple sat. "I like this place," Steven started, "I hope the food is as good as it looks."

"I like the theme." Carol commented with a smile. "It's pretty new and unusual." She looked at the counter, were the cash register was at the corner by the entrance. The front was made of glass with different kinds of drinks, meals and disserts put for display: Donuts, cakes, pudding, etc. Behind the counter was the coffee machine, flanked by shelves of additions on both sides, Stools placed across the front with two men sitting next to each other in front of the coffee machine.

"Well, it's never seen before," Steven commented. A new song started playing on the speakers, and he recognized it as _Thriller_ by _Michael Jackson_. "I like that they play music in here too." He smiled, nodding his head slightly with the pop music emitting from the speakers. The barista returned with a plate with three glasses of water.

"'ere ya go, luvs." She spoke, putting one glass down on the table In front of each. "If you need anything, please call my name, Kayla."

"Less talky, more worky, Kayla, dear," Another voice spoke. It belonged to another barista who looked exactly like Kayla, only she wore glasses and was slightly skinnier.

Kayla rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Yes, Mum," She spoke sarcastically, "When I'm working fo' you, I will."

"You _are_ working for me," The twin retorted, walked to a man sitting alone on a table near the trio, putting a glass of coke down before him, along with a roasted turkey breast sandwich with a smile, before looking back at the barista. "Do you need a reminder or something like tha'?" She asked, also with a British accent.

"It doesn't matter if you're the boss," Kayla retorted, "I'm still the older twin, me hearty." She put one hand on her hip, holding the empty plate with the other.

"By three, bloody, minutes." The one with glasses replied, lifting a finger with each word.

"Still," Kayla started, a smirk on her lips as she began to walk away, "They still count." She went behind the counter, passing the stereo system next to a door leading to the back and increasing the volume a bit.

"I hate when she brings the age thing…" The glasses twin muttered bitterly.

"You two seem to argue a lot." She turned her attention back to the teens sitting on the table.

"Yes, we do," She sighed, "I love her, but she can very irritating at times with her attitude."

"I think it's cute." Leni perked up with a smile. "I have two twin sisters at home and they fight, like, all the time." She added with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Not to mention entertaining," Steven added, taking a sip of his water, "You two are more legit than WWE, to be honest." Carol giggled.

"Well, I'm glad you're entertained." She replied with a smile, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. And with that, she took her leave.

"I like this place already." Steven said, taking another sip of his water.

"Me too," Carol started, getting up, "But I need to go use the loo. Be back in a bit." And she left at that.

Aside from the music emitting from the speakers, the silence between Steven and Leni. Neither knew how to start a conversation. That is, until Steven cleared his throat. "So," He started. "Why not tell me more about Leni?"

"O-oh, well… There's not much to, like, tell about Leni," She started, coyly fidgeting with her hands as _All I Ever wanted_ by _Basshunter_ started playing. "I have, like, ten sisters and one brother." She started counting her fingers. "There's Lily, the baby of the family. She's totes the cutest! And there's Lisa, who, like, understands stuff and makes those weird drinks that go boom all the time. And then, the twins, Lana and Lola, who always bicker and fight with each other. There's Lucy who always writes poetry and, like, pop in and scares us all the darn time. How does she do that?"

Steven shrugged, putting an elbow on the table, resting his chin on his upturned palm, listening closely. "Maybe you're just easy to sneak up on." He reasoned as _Stereo Hearts_ began to play.

"There's also Lincoln, my little brother. He likes to read comics in his underwear, but he's, like, _totes_ the bestest brother ever."

"Sounds like a nice kid," Steven commented with a nod.

"He is!" Leni perked happily, before she sighed and frowned. Steven sensed something was bothering her. "He is… He's the only one who's patient with me…" She spoke sullenly.

"What you mean?" Steven asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Leni kept her head down, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her dress. After a short while, she finally spoke. "I'm.. I'm a little slower than other at understanding things…" She muttered.

"I don't… What do you mean, Leni?" Steven asked.

"… My whole life, everyone was looking out for me…" She started. "Mom, dad… Even my own little brother…" She added.

"That's what family does, Leni. They take care of each other."

"It's different with me," She replied, It… It always has been…"

Steven's confusion increased. And she seemed to be fighting back tears at this point. He wanted to let this go, but he found himself pressing her on. "What's that suppose to mean, Leni?" He asked, quietly enough to be heard over the music.

"I-I… I'm not the smartest in the family…" She spoke, a barely noticeable hint of venom in her voice. "I try hard, and it's never enough…" That started a series of alarms inside of Steven's brain, and his protective instincts began to kick in. "I keep messing up doing the simplest things, and, like, I always need someone helping with whatever I do…" Hold up, for a second, is she beating herself down? "And I make it harder on them when they try to teach me something because I'm, like, slow at understanding stuff…" She bit her lower lip and he could see her shoulders tremble slightly. "T-they said I should go to Royal Woods Community college so m-my family can take c-care of me, and I agree, b-because I know I'm…" She sniffled lightly as she fisted the hem of her dress. Steven knew the word that was going to come next. "… Stupid…"

The moment the word left her mouth, Steven's body took action. He left his seat and knelt down on one knee next to her, holding her hand in his hands and looked directly in her blue teary eyes. "Listen to me, Leni," He started, giving her gentle hand a reassuring squeeze, "You're very brave, you know that? It's not easy to be true to yourself and admit to your flaws. And it's even harder to confess them out loud." He then gave her a warm smile. "You're _not_ stupid, Leni, not even a _little_. If anything, you're _smart._ I mean, look at me," He gestured to the clothes he was wearing. The ones she picked for him. "Are you trying to tell me that a girl with your sense of fashion is stupid? It takes a strong mind to look this good, and that's exactly what you are: A strong-minded girl." He paused for a minute to collect his thoughts, unaware of Leni's quivering lip. "So, you have a hard time learning certain things, so, you need a little more help than others, so what? It doesn't mean that you're the only person in the world who needs help. I need help too, you know. Carol needs help too. And I'm sure your brother and sisters come asking for your help at home as well." Coming to think of it, they did. If they ever needed help with fashion, or having a bad dream at night, they'd always come to her. Especially Lincoln when he was young, and Lola too "You don't need to be what people want you to be. You're something really special Leni… You're _perfect_ just the way you are." He finished.

Leni slipped he hand out of his and cupped them to her face as she let out soft sobs and Steven's heart sank. "Oh… D-did I say something wrong? I'm sor-"

"N-no…" Leni cut him off through her soft sobs, "It's just…" She sniffed, "No one ever called me smart before…" And another round of sobs started. Steven's heartstrings pulled tightly, and he found himself wrapping his arms around her trembling frame and pulling her into a tight hug.

This was new to Steven. He's never given anyone comfort before. Apart from Toby of course, but that was only when he had a bad dream and crawl into Steven's bed at night. But this poor girl was so emotionally hurt to the point she sees herself as a mentally retarded person and that wasn't true. She was slightly absent-minded, from how Steven sees it, and that can be fixed with time. Her family had a role in this too, but he couldn't blame them. They were just looking after her. But they overdone it to the point she grew dependant on someone else helping her with whatever she was doing she lost the ability to function normally on her own. She's sixteen now. She needs to learn to be independent, but that depends on whether she wants to or not.

Presently, Carol had finally left the bathroom, humming with _Hold The Line_ by _Toto_ playing from the speakers, but stopped and looked concerned at the sight Steven holding a crying Leni. Steven looked her way and quietly pressed his index against her lips. _Give us a minute_. Carol nodded and, having nothing to do, she decided to walk back into the bathroom and check her makeup. Steven looked down at Leni, her sobs turned down into small sniffles. "Leni." She looked up at him and he pulled away, both hands on her shoulders. "You wanna be independent, right?"

She nodded with a sniff and wiped her cheeks, smudging her running mascara on them. "I-I do," She spoke, barely above a whisper, "But I dunno how…"

"That's alright," He said, reassuringly squeezing her shoulders, "I'll help you find out. But you have to promise me one thing." He moved his hands to her cheeks and wiped fresh tears away with his thumbs. "You never be hard on yourself like this again. Okay? You have no reason to hate yourself."

She smiled faintly and gave a small nod. "Thank you, Stevie…" He smiled back, and took his hands away from her face and returned to his seat.

"You should go fix your makeup. You got mascara all over your face." He gestured at his face for emphasis.

Leni grabbed her purse, pulled out her hand mirror and gasped at the reflection. "Oh em gosh, I can't be seen like this!" She quickly folded her mirror shut, grabbed her purse and darted for the little girl's restroom. And with that, Steven was left alone, with a pair of mascara-covered palms. He sighed and decided to get up and wash his hands. _Not in mood to taste makeup in my food today._

As he walked to the men's restroom, he was watched by three sets of eyes from the stools at the far left corner of the counter. "Das it," T.K said, leaving his stool and producing a pair of nunchucks from his back, "Imma go in there and whip his ass."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Lincoln pulled him back. "Are you crazy? You're gonna get us kicked out!"

"Do I look like I give a shit? Did ya see how he was holdin' Leni like he owned her?" T.K retorted. They had to keep their voices low to not get yelled at by that bitch barista with glasses.

"I did, but beating him up isn't gonna solve anything!"

"Um, guys?" Clyde chimed in, looking behind T.K with wide eyes.

"It sure gon' make me feel good, doh!" T.K pulled his arm out of Lincoln's grasp and started walking, only to bump into someone.

"So, you're the ones who were followin' us all day, huh?" A more mature voice spoke. T.K looked up, only to find Steven towering about him and the two others.

"Das right," T.K spoke defiantly. "Whatchu gon' do 'bout i-AYE!" Before he could finish, though, he found himself being hoisted up off his feet with one hand, the nunchucks falling out of his grip. Clyde and Lincoln suffering the same with the other.

"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do about it." He pulled the three of them closer into his intense gaze. An audible gulp coming from the boy with white hair. "I'm gonna go find a nice bin, and throw your asses in, 'cause that's where stalking scumbags like you belong." And with that, he looked at the trash bin placed near the doors of the restrooms and bean to walk towards it. "Just so you know, if you three wanna argue about kickin' my ass or not, make sure I don't hear you next time." He stopped in front of it, and just as he was about to throw in the one with the dreads first, "Linky?" Came Leni's voice.

Steven whipped his head around and found Leni and Carol standing by the restroom doors, watching in confusion. "Leni!" T.K beamed in mock surprise, "I didn't know you was here!" He then flashed a sheepish grin.

"Nice try, lil' man," He said to T.K, then turned to Leni and Carol. "These three were following us the moment we walked into the mall. You know them, Leni?"

"Like, yeah. That's Linky, my little brother and his friends, Clyde and T.K." She answered. "Could you please put them down, Stevie?" She politely asked.

He knew that tone very well, and a smirk formed on his lips. "Sure thing, girl." He said and lowered them down to their feet.

Leni put her hands on her hips with her brows furrowed in a cute angry expression."Why were you guys following us?" She asked firmly.

"We didn't want him to hurt you like the last time, so we thought we'd follow you around to make sure you're okay." Lincoln explained.

"Yeah, chica," T.K added, "We wouldn't forgive ourselves if anythin' like d'last time happened to you again… You mad at us?"

Leni couldn't be mad at them. They were just trying to protect her. Her glare softened and she opened her arms. "Aww, you guys," She started as she wrapped the three of them in a hug, "thank you~!" She then let them go. "I appreciate what you guys are doing," she took a quick glance at Steven for support, and he smiled back. "But I'm not helpless. I can totes take care of myself."

"We know that, Leni," Clyde responded, "But we're still gonna try to protect you." Leni gushed and gave them another tight hug. Carol thought it was cute while Steven smiled proudly at the sight. _Make way, world. Independent Leni is coming through._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES  
**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter...**

 **The first reason It took my so long to get this chapter done was due to my twin brother Lyle getting very busy with college, as well as myself. The second reason was because we were working extra to make sure our business got up on its feet (The coffee shop ;) ). The third, and most important reason, was because, not one week ago, I had to travel back to the states bury my dad. The news came suddenly, and I was emotionally stressed that I had to take a break to get over it. I'm still aching from his departure, but life goes that way, so I'm fine.**

 **Oh, and I'm just playing, Flagg. You know I love you ;) :***

 _In loving memory of Roy Owens. (1966-2018)_

 _A loving father and husband._


	6. 06 Can Run But Can't Hide

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

 **What's up, everyone? Kyle here. Now, I know what I said the last time you saw something from this story, so, I'll just explain myself. I felt bad about leaving you all hanging for so long, only to give up on this project. Therefore, I decided to do the thing I do when I want things done. I bully myself into doing it. Don't worry, I won't half-ass this story in any way. I'll always put out 100% into anything I write.**

 **What that being said, this chapter will take us back in time and get to know more about Steven's past. Enjoy :)**

 **Don't forget to check out my Discord** **server.**

* * *

 _"How you feelin' bro?" Rocky asked, standing before Steven, who was in nothing but his brown and black trunks and a pair of red boxing gloves covering his hands._

 _"I feel good," Steven answered, wiggling his arms, then rolling his neck._

 _Steven and Rocky left the trainer's room and started to make their way towards the ring. They walked down a school hallway, flanked by lockers on both sides and the occasional door. At the second intersection, they took a left. "Now I've seen the other dude fight. He's big and strong, but slow and sloppy. Stay low, and watch yo' self from his fists," Rocky instructed._

 _"Got it," Steven replied simply. They walked down a hallway, the sound of cheers catching their ears and grew louder as they continued. Crossing a pair of double doors, they were at a small hallway that terminated at another set of double doors, the sound of cheers coming clearly from the other side of double doors._

 _"By the way," Rocky started, grabbing Steven's arm to stop him from going out. Steven complied, and looked at his friend/training partner. "You be careful out there, ight? That nigga good."_

 _"They're_ all _good," Steven answered, a confident smirk on his lips. "Doesn't change anything." He then opened his mouth. Catching his flow, Rocky put the mouth guard in place._

 _They went through the double doors, before them was the ring and a crowd of teenagers and young adults on the stands, cheering. Steven made his way through two stands, up the steps, and through the ropes, another teenager in red and white boxers, boxing gloves, and a dragon tattoo over his right arm stood at one corner. He was a head taller than Steven, more muscular too. A man in a blue suit jacket, black pants, and a fancy red bowtie stood in the center of the ring, a microphone at hand. "Lllladies and gentlemen!" He declared, his voice echoing through the speakers around the gymnasium. "Students and nerds, I hope you're ready! 'cause HERE WE GO AGAIN!"_

 _The crowd cheered louder as Steven stood at his corner. The emcee raised his hand to silence the crowd, and slowly, they went quiet. "To my left!" He started, pointing his free arm at Steven, "with a record of eleven knockouts and no defeats, coming from Richwood High, Steven Wade: The Assailant!" His voice boomed, a mixture of boos and cheers emitting from the crowd._

 _"Don't listen to 'em, bro!" A familiar shouted over the boos and Steven looked behind. He found his other friends, Rocky and Reggie, flanking both of Huxley's sides, whom were standing at ringside, a camera at Huxley's hand was recording._

 _"You're at your element!" Reggie added._

 _The corners of Steven's lips curved up in a smirk. He nodded at them, then turned back to stare down his opponent, who stared back. "And to my right!" the emcee intruded. "With a record of twenty-two knockouts and no losses…" the crowd cheered, "From Brooklyn High…" The crowd cheered louder. "Alvin Johnson: THE BIG, BAD, WOLF!" The crowd exploded as Alvin raised his fists, then proceeded to howl like a wolf at the crowd, them imitating him._

 _Once the crowd had settled down, both contestants walked to the middle of the ring, where a referee in a striped shirt joined them. "Alright, you two," the ref started. "I want you to listen to me at all times, and protect yourselves at all times. Keep your fists away from the eyes and the groin. I'm firm, but fair. Touch gloves, and go back to your corners," The referee instructed._

 _"Don't worry, little man," Alvin scoffed, raising his gloves. "I'll go easy on you." Steven said nothing and kept his glare at Alvin. He raised his gloved hands and smacked them roughly against his opponent's before turning back to his corner. A scowl formed on the larger fighter as he walked backwards. Both fighters took their stances, their fists up, forearms pressed together, and chins tucked in._

 _ **Ding!**_

 _The bell rang, and they started circling each other, inching closer to one another. Close enough, Alvin jabbed at Steven with his left, whom he blocked using his right glove and moved back a step. Alvin inched closer and jabbed again, only to be blocked the same way and Steven backed up closer to the turnbuckle. Growing confident, Alvin moved closer to Steven, trapping him in the corner. He jabbed a third time, but instead of being blocked, Steven swatted it away with his left before swinging a right hook at the tatted boxer._

 _Out of instinct, Alvin whipped his head back, missing what could have possibly been the end of the match by mere inches. He swung a right hook at the smaller boxer, but missed as he ducked underneath, escaping the corner._

 _Alvin quickly turned and faced Steven, who was smirking behind his gloves. Understanding dawned on Alvin. He was baiting him. That made him angry; how_ dare _he toy him around?_

 _The first round was spent with the two teens assessing each other without real attempts of putting the other to sleep. The bell rang, signaling the ending of the first round. The referee stood between them and instructed them to return to their respective corners. Steven complied and sat down on a stool provided by Rocky. Reggie pulled his mouthpiece out and tipped a water bottle to his lips. "How you feelin'?" Rocky asked as He wiped Steven's sweaty face with a towel._

 _"I feel good," Steven replied. He drank from the bottle, rinsed his mouth, then spat out into a bucket._

 _"Alright, listen. He knows you're faster now. No more foolin' round. Put his ass to sleep and take this home," Rocky instructed. Steven nodded and opened his mouth, allowing Reggie to fit the mouthpiece back in._

 _The ring was cleared and the two boxers advanced once the bell rang. Steven jerked forward, prompting Alvin to jerk back, his fists close together. "Make a gap!" He heard Rocky yell from ringside. Nodding to himself, Steven swung his left arm towards Alvin's forehead for a jab, but the larger boxer blocked it, unaware of exposing his left abdomens. Taking advantage, Steven drove his right fist into his stomach in a powerful body blow. Red pain burned in Alvin's stomach as the air rushed out of his lungs with a wheeze. He staggered back, and Steven drove his left to the same spot. He grunted and fell back against the ropes. He saw Steven approaching, and swung a wild right hook to keep him back. Steven ducked under as Alvin regained his balance and faced the smaller teen._

 _They circled each other for a few moments, their bodies already glistening with sweat under the lights. Growing impatient, Alvin threw a right jab, which Steven dodged, followed by a left one that was dodged as well. He then threw a right hook with Steven ducking under and, seeing his opening, Steven attacked._

 _Pain exploded in Alvin's ribs as Steven's left fist made contact, followed by a powerful right hook that brought stars into his vision. He staggered back as Steven continued the assault with a quick right jab and a left hook. "Cover up!" Steven heard someone from Alvin's corner shout, but he wasn't going to let that happen. He dove forward, backing Alvin up into the turnbuckle. In a vague attempt to create space, Alvin swung a right hook at Steven, but paid for it when he ducked under and drove his right fist into Alvin's sore ribs, then stood and delivered a left hook to the side of his jaw. The punishment continued as Steven drove his right fist Alvin's stomach, then followed with a quick right uppercut to the chin, his head limply lolling back._

 _Lips peeled back to reveal teeth biting down on the mouthpiece, Steven delivered six consecutive blows to each one of Alvin's abs, following it with a powerful right blow to the ribs, then a left hook to the side of his face, then a right, his sweat flaying off of his skin with each impact and glittering like diamonds under the light. He then drove his left into Alvin's stomach (Alvin hunching forward with a wheeze), then followed with a right uppercut so strong his mouthpiece flew out of his mouth in a gush of blood._

 _The crowd went silent as Alvin's knees gave out, resulting him collapsing down on them before falling on his face, Steven stepping aside just in time. The referee began the count as Steven stared down at his fallen opponent._

 _"One…!" The referee began. Steven stepped back and watched; Alvin was absolutely motionless._

 _"Two...! Three…!"_

 _Alvin still hadn't move. He's probably out cold; Steven_ did _serve him up good._

 _Either that, or he's probably dead…_

 _Pfft, yeah, right._

 _"Six…! Seven…!"_

 _Alvin still hadn't made so much as a twitch. And Steven began to wonder… Did he go too far…? He was slightly angry with the guy's attitude, but he didn't get_ that _mad._

 _Did he?_

 _"Eight…!"_

 _An image flashed before Steven's eyes. A_ horrifying _image that sent chills down his spine._

 _"Nine…!"_

 _The image of the night he got angry for the first time in his life. The image of his father, lying face down, in a pool of his own blood with a pair of scissors buried in his back. He was right where Alvin was, his dead eyes staring up at him with accusation. You did this, he could hear his father say. You killed me. You killed your father._

 _Steven was blind to his surroundings, the world around him dissipating into darkness, leaving only him and his father's corpse. The grim reminder of his biggest mistake._

 _You're a danger to those you love._

Shut up…

 _You already killed once. There's no guarantee you won't kill again._

Shut up!

 _There's no guarantee you won't hurt_ her _like you hurt me._

 _Just then, an image of his mother, lying where his father was, her face bruised and bloodied, lying in a pool of her own blood with him standing over her, his fists covered in blood._

 _Panic clutched his heart like a snake squeezing the life out of its prey, and he began to hyperventilate. He was on the a verge of collapse when he felt someone's hand pat him on the shoulder. He whipped his head around and found Huxley wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "What I tell you, man?! What I tell you?!" He asked giddily. It was then that Steven returned to the ring, surrounded by people on the stands, cheers and boos evenly emitting from them. The referee grabbed his arm and raised it triumphantly, declaring Steven the winner of the match._

 _Fifteen minutes later, Steven and his crew were back in the trainer's room, Rocky leaning back against the wall with Huxley standing next to him. They were watching the recording on the camera as Reggie was scissoring the tape holding the gloves' Velcro. Steven wasn't paying attention; his mind was stuck on that image. His mother beaten to a pulp with him on top of her._

 _A chill ran down his spine. He would_ never _do that. Jesus fuck, he'd smash a sledgehammer on his own hands before he would even_ think _about it._

 _His mind went to Alvin, how he wasn't moving, even after he was leaving the ring. Before he crossed through the double doors, he caught a glimpse of two his crew and two medics inspecting him. Was he alright? He had no idea, and it bothered him._

 _Once the gloves were off, he took his boxers off, took a refreshing shower, and changed into a pair of track pants, a white T-shirt and a black hooded jacket, a gym bag hanging from his shoulder by a strap. He left the locker room with the others, walking down the hallway. "Man, you were on fire out there," Huxley said, watching the recording for the umpteenth time. "That guy didn't even have a_ chance! _"_

 _Because I didn't give him one, Steven thought, his gaze downcast. Huxley turned to look at Steven, and saw his morbid state. "Yo, you 'ight?" He asked. Steven didn't respond. "Steven," he repeated, holding his shoulder. Steven jolted up, jerking his head towards Hux. "You 'ight?"_

 _Steven wasn't sure. Should he tell them he was worried about his opponent? Then again, if he couldn't open up to his friends, who else would he open up to? Heaving a sigh, he spoke. "I'm worried about the dude, alright? He wasn't moving at all when we left the ring. I, uh… I think I hurt him."_

 _"What else is new?" Reggie asked. "You always hurt someone in the ring." From the collective glares he received from his friends, he realized he had said something stupid. He smacked his hands to his mouth, which was enough for them to quit their glaring._

 _"Don't worry, bruh," Rocky said, wrapping his arm around Steven's shoulders, "He's fine, nigga, I'm tellin' ya."_

 _Only, he_ wasn't _fine._

 _When the four teens were at the exit, they were met with an unpleasant sight. Especially for Steven._

 _It was Alvin, lying on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on his bruised face, one of the medics held a bottle of medicine up in the air. Alvin's girlfriend was by his side, tears streaking down her cheeks and holding his hand as they lead him towards an ambulance parked by the front entrance._

 _Huxley walked towards the medics as they began to mount the ambulance. "Yo, what's the matter with him?" he asked._

 _"He's not responding," one of the medics answered. "We're taking him to the hospital. It looks like a concussion."_

 _All Steven could do was watch as they carried his opponent into the ambulance. And just before the girl climbed, she looked over at Steven, her eyes filled with hatred and blame. You did this, it said, then hopped into the ambulance. The rear doors were pulled shut, and it drove away, the siren wailing as it left his sight._

 _Steven was petrified. He was in a trance; he couldn't believe what he just saw. He went too far, and Alvin paid greatly for it. Right now, he was struggling to stay alive, and it was all his fault._

* * *

Steven woke with a jolt, his eyes flying open in terror. He was laying on his side, his muscular chest bare, save for a blanket that covered his abs to keep him warm at night. At first, it was pitch black, then the world swam into light. The first thing he saw was his little brother, Toby, in red pajamas with white clouds smattered on them. He was on his back, his arms splayed open and the bed a total mess. Steven's terror dissipated instantly, and sighed in relief. _It was just a dream,_ he thought, then grabbed his phone from the nightstand and checked the clock.

 **06:13AM**

He sighed and dropped the phone back in place, then laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. He thought back to his dream. Well, it wasn't really a dream, more like a trip down Memory Lane, and it was bumpy as fuck.

The day after the match, Steven and the others learned that Alvin Johnson had suffered neural damage, along with a fractured jaw. In other words, he was no longer to step into the ring after that. The guilt Steven felt from that outcome was so intense he couldn't even eat. A few days later, he walked into the gym's office and told his coach something he felt no comfort in saying.

 _I'm done._

Don't get him wrong, he loved to box. But if it hurt people the way he hurt Alvin, what was the point of doing it if he would wind up doing the inevitable? He said as much when the coach asked why, and he nodded understandably. _It's too dangerous, coach,_ Steven had said. I'm _too dangerous. I never wanted for this to happen. I can't do it no more. I'm through._

 _If you give up now, you give up on yourself, son,_ the coach said that day. _Runnin' away from your problems ain't the solution. You gots to deal with it. Don' let your temper get the best of ya._

As if he wasn't even trying, for fuck's sake.

He was getting frustrated from the mere memory of that conversation, but no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't deny the truth his words. Giving up on boxing meant giving up on himself, _and_ his dream.

Drawing air through his nose and letting it out in a sigh, he laced his hands behind his head. He wandered back in time to where he got his nickname from. It was his second match ever, a spar with Reggie. Reggie was a good guy, but he had the habit of running his mouth. It pissed him off at the time, and he rang Reggie's bell so hard on the second round he stayed out for hours after the match. It was Huxley who came up with the nickname. _You're The Assailant,_ he'd said excitedly, _Because when you step into the ring, it's not a match, it's an assault._ Steven thought it was dumb as fuck, but he didn't argue. From then, the two became friends, and through Hux, he met Reggie, then Rocky. They grew closer as time passed until they were the closest he got to brothers. Until Mom gave birth to Toby, of course.

He turned his head and looked at his brother. His mouth was open now, light snores coming from him and a line of saliva slid down his cheek from the corner of his mouth. Steven's lips curved up in a smile. Toby wasn't a gracious sleeper; he rolled and shifted a lot, especially when he's dreaming. He grabbed the phone and checked the time again.

 **06:45AM**

He put the phone back and sat up, rubbing the dead skin off his eyes, then kicking his feet from under the covers. He opened a drawer on the nightstand where his underwear are neatly folded. He grabbed a pair of shorts, a white tank top, then stood up and went to the closet. He fished a pair of dark green track pants with triple white stripes on the sides, and a dark green hooded jacket, and folded them on his forearm. From the side of the closet, he grabbed a pair of green tennis shoes (one that Leni and Carol bought for him). He then grabbed his towel, shampoo, and his toothbrush, and went out to the hallway.

There were four rooms on the second door, one for each of the Pingrey kids, and the guest room Steven and Toby used. The room faced Connor's and on the other side of the staircase was the girls' bedrooms. He walked across the hall and into the bathroom. He put his stuff on the bowl of the sink and walked to the toilet. He pulled his boxers and down and aimed his water gun at the bowl.

Thirty minutes later, Steven stood before the mirror, fully dressed. He had just finished zipping up his jacket when a knock came on the door. He went over and opened it, only to blush when seeing it was Carol. She was wearing a pale salmon pink nightgown with a frilly hem that stopped halfway down her thighs and was held up by string laces on her shoulders that bared the smooth, silky skin of her arms. She shyly crossed her arms, unintentionally pushing her bust up against her nightie. "G-good morning, Steven," she said, her cheeks turning pink as the doorframe looked very interesting to admire.

"Uh, morning," he replied, feeling his own cheeks heating up. Ever since Carol's… little show at the mall two weeks ago, Steven had been having strange ideas about his cousin. He didn't understand why she did it… but he found himself getting hard when he remembered how her breasts were snugly cupped in that bra. How her milky flesh was pink with her blush… How her warm breath puffed against his lips as he leaned closer to her.

He shot that thought down and cleared his throat, his cheeks turning crimson. "I, uh…" he started, stepping aside. "I'mma go out for a jog. T-text me if ya need something from outside." And with that, he walked away.

A smirk touched Carol's lips as she watched him go. She wasn't really interested in him that way, she just enjoyed flustering him. Truth be told, she might have went too far that day at the changing room, but it all worked out. Plus, even if they _did_ kiss, it wasn't a sin. Cousins are legal, as far as she knew.

She stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She walked over to the shower and turned on the shower, putting her palm under the stream. When it turned warm, she crossed her arms before her and grabbed the hem of her nightgown. Completely nude, she stepped under the flow, a shiver going through her as warm water coursed down her frame.

Her mind took her back to the video she watched two weeks ago, of Steven beating up Freddy and his goons. She was very mad with Steven picking fights on his second day at school. She was worried, too. Since the last time they saw each other, Stevie hasn't been one of confrontations, let alone picking fights with bullies. Another part of her was proud. It was really nice to see him standing up, not just for himself, but for others as well. He had always been kind and caring, and it was nice that his personality didn't change after becoming a Chad. Finding someone like Steven is very rare, and any girl that would have him is _very_ lucky.

 _If only_ I _was that lucky girl…_

Carol parted her wet bangs covering her face and her cheeks burned. She did _not_ just think that, did she?

Downstairs, Steven walked into the kitchen. It stood empty, save for aunt Claire, spinning a bowl full of what seemed to be pancake mix with remarkable speed. "Morning, sweetie," she said as he opened the fridge.

"Mornin'," he replied and grabbed a small milk bottle.

"Your mom called," she said, pouring some of the mix into a pan. Steven looked at her curiously.

"What did she say?" he asked.

"Nothing much," she answered, flipping the pancake. "She did ask about you at school, though."

"It's going alright," he lied, tipping the bottle against his lips. It would be best, he thought, that no one knows about his apparent problems with Teddy and his crew.

"Funny you said that," she said, turning to him with a bright smile. "She said in case you said that, I should tell you that if you cause trouble at school, she'd take the first flight here with a belt."

Cowjuice went down the wrong pipe and the teen broke into a coughing fit, bending at the waist. Aunt Claire rushed over, patting his back gently. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. Steven waved his hand at her with a nod.

"I'm fine, he managed, clearing his throat. "I was just drinkin' too fast." He threw the empty bottle in the recycle bin by the fridge and turned away. I'mma go out for a jog," he said as he walked across the dining room and towards the front door.

"Be sure to come back before 8 O'clock, so we can go to the clinic and get your hand checked up!" she called after him.

"Will do!" he replied and closed the door.

* * *

In his two weeks of living in Royal Woods, Steven had began to enjoy the quiet suburbs. Unlike New York, it was very quiet and peaceful, which is lit when you have things on your mind. He was jogging along the sidewalk of Parker street, a two-lane street flanked by stores to his left, and Ketcham Park to his right. Steven was no hippie, but he enjoyed whenever he could.

He stopped at the intersection ahead and faced the other sidewalk, where the park gate was. There were no cars, but the pedestrian light was red. A normal man would cross the street in that situation, but you see, in New York, no matter how empty the street was, you don't cross it when the light is red. There's always a car that pops up and send you flying across the blacktop. He'd seen it happen enough times to learn to wait. Once the light turned green, he jogged across and entered the park through the front gate.

The park was relatively empty; a bunch of college frat boys tossed a Frisbee amongst each other, a woman walking her Chihuahua (it barked at him when he jogged by, because fucking demon), and a Hotdog cart manned by a bald dude in an apron. To his left was a small pond with frogs sitting on lily pads, and to his right was an open grass field with a few picnic tables across from it. Up ahead, the path he was on would lead him through the treeline up ahead and around a small meadow in the middle of it, then back out the other side. Steven made it a habit to jog slowly across the forest and just enjoy the views as he went past.

in the forest, the concrete path was covered with a layer of dry leafs that crunched crisply under his shoes.

 _She'd take the first flight here with a belt._

A shiver went through the teen's body. As if the shit in high school wasn't enough to deal with. Now he has to worry about Mom whipping the sh-

Out of nowhere, something jumped out from behind a tree flanking the path and flew towards his face. Relying on instinct alone, Steven ducked at the very last possible moment and the objected soared post over his head, the wind moved by it ruffled his hair. "whoa!" he cried and turned, stumbling back before stopping. It was then, that he saw what the object was.

A dead branch.

Steven looked at the other end, and saw someone in a black hoodie and hockey mask holding it. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked. He heard crunching from both sides, and two others, wearing similar clothing, appeared. One was holding a length of chain, and the other a wooden baseball bat. Another crunch came from behind, and a third one appeared, holding a crowbar. They moved in on him, and he was forced into a corner.

Steven was many things, but invincible wasn't one of them; he knew how this would end, and it won't end well…

A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, but even so, he pulled his fists up and took a fighting stance. "So, you not gonna tell me who you are," he said, swallowing. "Guess I'll have to beat the shit outta you to find out."


End file.
